Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Neopterin Level and Disease Severity in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris Treated with Narrowband UVB

Background: Neopterin is a biochemical marker of cellular immunity. It has been reported that serum and urine neopterin levels increase in psoriasis and decrease with treatment. Nevertheless, assessment of a direct link between narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy and neopterin level in association with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores has not been performed yet. We aimed to evaluate the serum neopterin level in patients with psoriasis treated with narrowband UVB therapy in association with disease severity. Materials and Methods: The study included 35 patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis who had PASI scores of >10 or below 10 but resistant to topical therapies and 30 healthy individuals. The narrowband UVB therapy was administered to the patient group (n = 35). Serum neopterin analysis was performed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method before and after treatment. Results: There was statistically significant correlation between neopterin level and PASI score in the patient group (P = 0.011). The serum neopterin level was significantly increased in patients with higher PASI score. Moreover, the serum neopterin level was found to be statistically higher in severe psoriasis group (PASI score ≥10, n = 14) than the mild-moderate group (PASI score <10, n = 21) (P = 0.001). Furthermore, a significant decrease was observed according to serum neopterin level after the narrowband UVB therapy in the remaining 20 patients who were able to comply with the scheduled therapy and follow-up procedure (P = 0.026). Conclusion: Serum neopterin levels were found to be an useful marker for evaluating disease severity and efficacy of narrowband UVB treatment. Thus, our findings may provide a new approach with the management of disease and follow-up strategies in patients with psoriasis.
Establishing Relational Responding in Accordance with Opposite as Generalized Operant Behavior in Young Children

The current study constituted the first attempt to generate repertoires of relational responding in accordance with opposite, as generalized operant behavior, when they are found to be absent in young children. Three children, aged between 4 and 6 years, participated in the study. A basic problem-solving task was adopted from previous research to test and train patterns of relational responding in accordance with opposite. This task involved presenting a child with various numbers of identically-sized paper coins and providing the following instructions, for example: "This coin buys many (or few) sweets, and is opposite to this coin, which would you take to buy as many sweets as possible"? All three participants failed to pass baseline tests for specific patterns of relational responding in accordance with opposite. Various interventions, including training and testing across different stimulus sets and across different numbers of sets, were then successfully used with all participants to establish these relational responses as well as increasingly complex patterns of opposite responding. Generalization tests also demonstrated that the relational responding generalized to novel stimuli and experimenters. In addition, the use of a non-contingent reinforcement condition for one participant, during which no improvement was made, together with contingency reversals for all three participants, indicated that the trained and tested opposite responding may be considered a form of generalized operant behavior. These findings support previous research and lend positive support to Relational Frame Theory's approach to derived relational responding, and to the functional analysis of human language and cognition. Alternative interpretations of the data are also considered.
Bilateral Cleft Lip Repair – Advantages of Pfeifer's Technique

Context: Primary repair of bilateral cleft lip depends on the sound knowledge of anatomy, identification of landmarks, clinical variation of presentation, surgical expertise of the operator, etc., Herewith, we present the results of 129 cases performed during our study. Aim: To evaluate the advantages of Pfeifer's technique in bilateral cleft lip repair. Design: This was a retrospective analysis of the results of repair. Patients and Methods: The study was carried out on 129 patients using Pfeifer's technique. Pfeifer described a technique which involves changing the lip skin incision to a wavy line, thus making it less conspicuous, using the concept of “morphological order. ” The basis of this technique is, a skin incision between two points can be lengthened if both points are joined in a curved or wavelike manner rather than in a straight line. Results: Lip parameters improved by 70% as viewed in frontal profile in terms of white roll match, vermilion match, and Cupid's bow. Nasal parameters improved by 80% as viewed in basal view in terms of alar symmetry, nasal dome and alar base. Conclusions: We found four advantages by strict adherence to the steps in the technique as given in the available literature. This technique is easy to learn and teach with satisfactory results.
Relationships of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with defense styles and harm avoidance among male inpatients with alcohol use disorder

Introduction: Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) use immature defense styles, and AUD is related with adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Harm avoidance (HA) is related with both AUD and particularly inattentiveness (IN) dimension of ADHD. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship of defense styles with probable ADHD and severity of ADHD symptoms while controlling the effect of HA among male inpatients with AUD. Settings and Design: The present study with cross-sectional design was conducted at the Alcohol and Drug Research, Treatment and Training Center (AMATEM) of Bakirkoy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry Neurology and Neurosurgery in Istanbul. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, multiple logistic and linear regression analyses, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used. Materials and Methods: Participants (n = 151) were evaluated with the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, the Defense Style Questionnaire, and the HA Dimension of the Temperament and Character Inventory. Results: HA (particularly HA-1 [anticipatory worry and pessimism]) and immature defense style (particularly acting out) predicted the presence of probable ADHD. In linear regression analysis, HA (particularly HA-1 and HA-4 [fatigability and asthenia]), high immature (particularly acting out), and low mature defense styles predicted the severity of ADHD symptoms. In MANCOVA, immature defense style predicted both the IN and the hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) dimensions of ADHD, whereas HA and IN dimension and low mature defense style predicted HI dimension. Conclusions: These findings suggest that immature defense style (i.e., acting out) is related with both the presence of probable ADHD and severity of ADHD symptoms, together with HA, which must be taken into account while treating patients with ADHD among male populations with AUD.
Chess players' performance beyond 64 squares: A case study on the limitations of cognitive abilities transfer

In a beauty contest experiment with over 6,000 chess players, ranked from amateur to world class, we found that Grandmasters act very similar to other humans. This even holds true when they play exclusively against players of approximately their own strength. In line with psychological research on chess players' thinking, we argue that they are not more rational in a game theoretic sense per se. Their skills are rather specific for their game.
Nonsurgical management of periocular scars along with review of literature

Introduction: Facial scars in the periocular region may cause cosmetic blemish as well as functional deficits. There are several treatment options available for scar management, but many of these are unsuitable for periocular region because of their potential to cause damage to the ocular structures. This article aims to present an ophthalmic plastic surgeon's perspective of managing these scars safely and effectively. Methods: An extensive literature search was done using PubMed (Medline), Cochrane, and Google Scholar with multiple combinations of search terms such as scar, facial scar, contracture, and keloid. Articles in English language published describing the existing and emerging modalities of treatment for periocular facial scars were reviewed. Results: The scarring pattern in the face and periocular area is different as wound healing in these areas differs from that of the rest of the body. Various techniques ranging from simple scar massage to laser and intralesional steroids and antimetabolites have been described with good results for managing scars in various parts of the body. However, safety of some of these modalities in periocular region has not been established unequivocally as yet. Conclusion: Effective scar management requires a multipronged therapeutic approach. Facial and periocular scars deserve special care due to their close proximity to the eyes. Hence, it is paramount that safety of any approach be ascertained prior to the procedure, especially in periocular areas.
Database resources of the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) provides a large suite of online resources for biological information and data, including the GenBank® nucleic acid sequence database and the PubMed database of citations and abstracts published in life science journals. The Entrez system provides search and retrieval operations for most of these data from 35 distinct databases. The E-utilities serve as the programming interface for the Entrez system. Custom implementations of the BLAST program provide sequence-based searching of many specialized datasets. New resources released in the past year include a new PubMed interface, a sequence database search and a gene orthologs page. Additional resources that were updated in the past year include PMC, Bookshelf, My Bibliography, Assembly, RefSeq, viral genomes, the prokaryotic genome annotation pipeline, Genome Workbench, dbSNP, BLAST, Primer-BLAST, IgBLAST and PubChem. All of these resources can be accessed through the NCBI home page at www.ncbi. nlm.nih. gov.
ACTIVE ENDOCANNABINOIDS ARE RELEASED FROM MICROGLIA IN ASSOCIATION WITH EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES TO INHIBIT GABAERGIC TRANSMISSION

4 ABBREVIATION LIST . 6 INTRODUCTION . 9 1. THE SYNAPSE . 10 2. THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM . 12 eCB synthesis and metabolism . 13 eCB receptors . 14 eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity . 16 CB1 receptor-mediated effects in the hippocampus . 17 eCB signaling and glial cells . 18 eCBs in pathology . 19 3. ENDOCANNABINOID TRANSPORT . 21 eCBs and membranes . 21 eCB transport across the membranes and inside the cells . 21 eCB release and extracellular trafficking . 25 4. EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES (EVS) . 26 Biogenesis and sorting . 28 Interaction with donor cell . 29 5. MICROGLIAL MVS . 31 6. MICROGLIA . 36 AIM OF THE THESIS . 39 RESULTS . 40 EV QUALITY CONTROL . 41 AEA IS ENRICHED IN MVS AND EXOSOMES RELEASED FROM MICROGLIAL CELLS . 43 HIPPOCAMPAL PRIMARY CULTURES ARE A SUITABLE SYSTEM TO BIOASSAY ECB ACTIVITY . 45 MICROGLIA MVS INHIBIT GABA SPONTANEOUS RELEASE THROUGH ACTIVATION OF CB1 RECEPTORS . 48 MV-MEDIATED CB1 RECEPTOR ACTIVATION DRIVES TO A DOWNSTREAM SIGNALING IN NEURONS . 51 ECBS ARE CARRIED ON THE SURFACE OF MICROGLIAL MVS . 54 MICROGLIAL MVS GENERATE EXCITATION-INHIBITION UNBALANCE IN THE BRAIN . 55 DISCUSSION . 57 eCB receptors and hippocampal neurons in cultures . 60 eCBs are released on the surface of EVs. 61 Microglial MVs alter excitation-inhibition balance in the brain . 61 Microglial MVs act on excitatory and inhibitory synapses through distinct pathways . 64 EV isolation . 65 CONCLUSIONS . 65 IMPORTANT NOTES . 66 -
Camera trap survey of medium and large mammals in a montane rainforest of northern Peru

Camera traps are a powerful tool for inventorying elusive and rare species and very useful to obtain ecological data for plans that involve wildlife conservation. In Peru, several surveys have been carried out in lowland Amazonia especially in the southeastern part of the country, but none in montane cloud forests or Yungas. We present the first camera trap studies produced in Peruvian Yungas at the locality of Querocoto village (Chota, Cajamarca), based on 2002 (dry season) and 1264 (wet season) camera traps-days (CTD). Two localities were surveyed in wet and dry season: The Pagaibamba Protection Forest and the San Lorenzo Forest. The wet season study was carried out in October and November, and the dry season in July to September of 2008. Eight mammalian species were recorded in both seasons. Some 66 (91.7%) independent records were obtained in the dry season, but only six (8.3%) in the wet one, suggesting a seasonality effect. The Mountain Paca Cuniculus taczanowskii was the most commonly photographed species, with 17.0 and 1.6 capture frequencies (dry and wet season respectively), whereas the Long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata (0.5 capture frequency in the dry season) was the most rare species. Activity patterns suggest that Mountain Paca C. taczanowskii and the Andean Skunk C. chinga are nocturnal, while Spectacled Bear T. ornatus and Tayra E. barbara are diurnal in the study area. Our records of the Ocelot Leopardus pardalis and the Tayra E. barbara are among the highest altitudinal records known for each species. In addition, the Anta Tapirus pinchaque was also identified by its tracks, representing one of the first record known south of the Huancabamba Depression.
To treat or not to treat Alzheimer’s disease by the ketogenic diet? That is the question

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and current treatments: AD is a serious neurological disorder worldwide that affects about 26 million people, and whose prevalence has been calculated to quadruple by 2050, thus reaching over 1% of the total population, with the highest prevalence occurring in both adults and elderly (Pluta et al., 2018). Neurodegenerative processes of the sporadic form of AD probably start 20 years before the clinical onset of the disorder (Pluta et al., 2018). This disease is the most important cause of dementia in world aged society (~75%). AD is a disorder that affects not only patients but also their caregivers. The social and economic burden associated with AD was calculated as an example in the United States alone; 600 billion dollars annually is spent on caring for AD patients (Pluta et al., 2018). AD is the one of the great health-care challenges of the 21 century. The incidence of AD, a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is increasing, as well as the need for efficient methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment (Pluta et al., 2018). The characteristic clinical and neuropathological hallmarks of AD are: dementia as the main clinical symptom and in post-mortem neuropathological examination, the presence of amyloid plaques as well as neurofibrillary tangles and loss of neurons in the brain of AD patients. The role of amyloid and tau protein is questioned in the etiology of AD and other causes such as ischemic etiology are being considered (Pluta and Ułamek-Kozioł, 2019). There are several treatments that are not causal but symptomatic that are not effective, especially for advanced disease. To date, only a few drugs are approved, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. Drugs that regulate partly the activity of neurotransmitters and partly alleviate behavioral symptoms. Other treatment options include active and passive immunization, anti-aggregation specifics, and secretase inhibitors. The road to clarity AD etiology, early final ante mortem diagnosis and treatment has been one fraught with a wide range of complications and numerous revisions with a lack of a final solution. Research has recently been launched to identify new mechanisms underlying AD that could be the target of new prevention strategies (Pluta and Ułamek-Kozioł, 2019). Therefore, other treatment options can be recommended, and the ketogenic diet seems to be an interesting last resort solution at the moment (Rusek et al., 2019). The diet contains large amounts of fat and low carbohydrates with vitamin supplementation. New scientific articles suggest that a low-carbohydrate and high-fat ketogenic diet may help alleviate the brain damage in AD (Ota et al., 2019; Rusek et al., 2019). A ketogenic diet can alleviate the effects of impaired glucose metabolism in AD by providing ketones as an additional source of energy. Here, based on new data, we have presented that a ketogenic diet can be effective in preventing and treating AD, but both ketone bodies production and carbohydrate reduction are needed to achieve this.
An empirical analysis of customer satisfaction in international air travel

Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Iraq War, and the outbreak of SARS and the bird flu in the Far East and Canada, the air travel industry has been severely depressed. Moreover, “no-frills” airlines such as Pacific Blue and Freedom Air emerged with a value proposition that was radically different from the branding and service offers of the more conventional airlines, such as Singapore Airlines. The combination of these three events poses a competitive threat for many high-frills international airlines as they seek methods to satisfy their customers. This study investigates the factors that influence passengers’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions in international air travel. The study examines which dimensions have a positive influence on service quality and which dimensions have the most and least important impact on service quality in international air travel, as perceived by airline passengers. The findings of this study are based on the analysis of a sample of 428 respondents. The dimensionality of perceived service quality in international air travel was explored and seven dimensions were identified. These dimensions include timeliness, assurance, convenience, helpfulness, comfort, meals, and safety and security. The findings reveal that these seven dimensions are positively related to perceived service quality in international air travel, and of these dimensions, safety and security is the most important dimension. Timeliness is the least important dimension as perceived by airline passengers. In addition, the findings indicate that passengers’ perception of international air travel service quality will differ according to passengers’ age, gender, income, occupation and marital status.
Growth, Survival, and Osmoregulation of Indian White Shrimp Penaeus indicus Juveniles Reared in Low Salinity Amended Inland Saline Groundwater and Seawater

ABSTRACT Antony, J.; Sandeep, K.P.; Aravind, R. ; Panigrahi, A. , and Balasubramanian, C.P., 2019. Growth, survival, and osmoregulation of Indian white shrimp Penaeus indicus juveniles reared in low salinity amended inland saline groundwater and seawater. In: Jithendran, K.P.; Saraswathy, R. ; Balasubramanian, C.P.; Kumaraguru Vasagam, K.P.; Jayasankar, V. ; Raghavan, R. ; Alavandi, S.V. , and Vijayan, K.K. (eds.), BRAQCON 2019: World Brackishwater Aquaculture Conference. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 86, pp. 21–31. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Growth, survival and osmoregulation of Indian white shrimp, Penaeus indicus juveniles were assessed in two water types' namely inland saline groundwater (ISGW) and seawater (SW). Raw ISGW is deficient in potassium (K+) and causes poor survival of shrimp. Amended ISGW (Na+/K+ ratio – 44:1; Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio – 1.8:1) of salinities 5, 10, and 15 ppt were artificially prepared by mixing of different salts in freshwater. The SW of salinities 5, 10, 15, and 27 ppt were prepared from oceanic water. Juvenile shrimp (∼0.069 g) were stocked to triplicate 120 L tanks (30 shrimp per tank) filled with amended ISGW and SW of different salinities and reared for 45 days (average water temperature, 26.7±0.1°C). All shrimp survived the experimental duration in SW of 10 ppt and amended ISGW of 10 and 15 ppt. Survival was significantly lower in SW of 5, 15 and 27 ppt (75.5–81.1%), and that in amended ISGW of 5 ppt (91.1%) was similar to other treatments. Final mean body weight of shrimp (1–1.2 g) and other growth parameters was not affected by water types and salinities. Serum osmolality was significantly lower for juveniles in amended ISGW of 5 and 10 ppt over those reared in SW of similar salinity. However, the osmoregulatory capacity of juveniles did not vary between amended ISGW and SW of identical salinities. Iso-osmotic point of shrimp in amended ISGW and SW were 793.8 (26.5 ppt) and 779.2 mOsmol Kg-1 (25.9 ppt) respectively. Tail muscle moisture content was significantly lower for shrimp in amended ISGW of 5 and 10 ppt, though hepatopancreas moisture contents did not vary between treatments. Penaeus indicus juveniles are efficient osmoregulators and exhibit typical euryhaline behaviour with identical growth parameters over a wide range of salinity. Data suggests that amended ISGW of Na+/K+ ratio ∼45:1 is suitable for P. indicus culture and commercial farming of the species is feasible at low and intermediate salinities.
In Vitro Establishment and Clonal Propagation of Sebri Pear Cultivar

Two experiments were performed for in vitro establishment, proliferation and shoot growth in axillary bud explants of Sebri pear cultivar. In the first experiment, the effect of different concentrations of IBA(Indole-3-butyric acid) on explants’ establishment was evaluated. In a second experiment, the influence of several combinations of PGRs (Plant growth regulators)on shoot proliferation and shoot growth was investigated. IBA at 0 and 0.1 mg L -1 concentration led to successful bud establishment. At higher IBA concentrations, callus was induced, but fewer explants were successfully initiated. BAP increased shoot proliferation, while TDZ(Phenyl-N'-(1, 2, 3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea) did not show any effect on shoot proliferation. BAP, at 3 mg L -1 was more effective than 2 mg L -1 on the number of proliferated shoots. Maximum shoot length was obtained for the medium containing BAP(6-benzylaminopurine) (2.0 and 3.0 mg L -1 )+IBA (0.1 mg L -1 ) and BAP (2.0 and 3.0 mg L -1 )+IBA (0.1 mg L -1 )+GA 3 (0.5 mg L -1 ). IBA in BAP combinations induced lateral bud swelling, while GA 3 (Gibberelic acid) inhibited it. Maximum leaf number was obtained for MS medium with 2.0 mg L -1 TDZ and 0.5 mg L -1 GA 3. Moreover, medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L -1 BAP+IBA (0.1 mg L -1 )+GA 3 (0.5 mg L 1 ) and 2.0 mg L -1 TDZ+GA 3 (0.5 mg L -1 ) produced maximum shoot length. Vegetative growth habit varied with different combinations and BAP concentrations, being the highest in BAP (2.0 mg L -1 )+IBA (0.1 mg L -1 ) treatment. The combination of BAP at 2 mg L -1 and 0.5 mg L -1 of GA 3 is finally recommended for a proliferation of Sebri pear cultivar.