Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Folate and Vitamin B6 Rapidly Normalize Endothelial Dysfunction In Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND. Endothelial dysfunction, a precursor of vascular disease, begins early in type 1 diabetes mellitus and is associated with folate status. METHODS. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of folate (5 mg daily) and vitamin B6 (100 mg daily) in 124 children with type 1 diabetes determined the immediate and 8-week effects of these vitamins, alone and in combination, on endothelial function. Endothelial function, assessed as flow-mediated dilation and glyceryltrinitrate-induced dilation with high-resolution ultrasound of the brachial artery, was measured at baseline, at 2 and 4 hours after the first dose (n = 35), and at 4 and 8 weeks of treatment (n = 122). RESULTS. Flow-mediated dilation normalized in all treatment groups. From baseline to 8 weeks, flow-mediated dilation improved with folate from 2.6% ± 4.3% (mean ± SD) to 9.7% ± 6.0%, with vitamin B6 from 3.5% ± 4.0% to 8.3% ± 4.2%, and with folate/vitamin B6 from 2.8% ± 3.5% to 10.5% ± 4.4%. This improvement in flow-mediated dilation occurred within 2 hours and was maintained at 8 weeks for each treatment. Flow-mediated dilation in the placebo group, and glyceryltrinitrate-induced dilation in all groups, did not change. Increases in serum folate, red cell folate, and serum vitamin B6 levels related to increases in flow-mediated dilation. Improvement in flow-mediated dilation was independent of changes in total plasma homocyst(e)ine, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. Baseline red cell folate levels and baseline diastolic blood pressure were related inversely to improvement in flow-mediated dilation. Serum triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol inversely related to baseline flow-mediated dilation. CONCLUSIONS. High-dose folate and vitamin B6 normalized endothelial dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes. This effect was maintained over 8 weeks, with no additional benefit from combination treatment.
A new technique to determine hydrogen excreted by gnotobiotic rats

A new system, that allowed the monitoring of hydrogen (H2) excretion by gnotobiotic rats without affecting their defined microbial status, was developed. The system consists of an isolator containing a chamber for an experimental animal, and a life-support system (LSS). with a sampling port outside the isolator connected to it. H2 accumulation in the system was measured by analysing a defined volume of gas after removal. H2 concentrations were determined with an electrochemical cell or by gas chromatography. To validate this technique, H2 excretion by germ-free (GF) and mono-associated rats fed a chemically defined diet was measured after oral application of lactulose. Mono-associated rats had been obtained by colonizing GF rats with a H2-producing Clostridium perfringens type A strain isolated from human faeces of a healthy volunteer. Application of 50 mg lactulose to the mono-associated rats resulted in a significant increase in H2 excretion. The net H2 excretion was 7.82±1.28 ml H2 in 12 h corresponding to a net maximal rate of 1.1±0.3 ml H2/h. In contrast, in experiments with GF rats, less than 0.13 ml H2 were detectable within 12 h. The technique presented is a useful tool for studying bacterial H2 metabolism in vivo under gnotobiotic conditions.
A Comparison of Pro- and Anti-Nudity College Students on Acceptance of Self and of Culturally Diverse Others

This study examined if college students supportive of social nudity would differ from students opposed to social nudity on self-acceptance and acceptance of culturally diverse others. Using data from 384 participants, pro- and anti-nudity groups were formed based on students scoring in the upper (n = 59) and lower (n = 64) quartiles on a measure assessing attitudes toward social nudity. Hypotheses were partially supported. Results indicated that pro-nudity students significantly differed from anti-nudity students on comfort with their bodies' appearances, but not on self-acceptance. Pro-nudity students also were significantly more accepting of other religious groups and gays and lesbians compared with anti-nudity students, but they did not differ on their attitudes toward the disabled. A trend was noted indicating that pro-nudity students were less prejudiced toward ethnically dissimilar others compared with anti-nudity students. Follow-up exploratory analyses suggested that pro-nudity students' increased openness to sexuality in general accounted for the two groups' discrepant views toward religiously dissimilar others and gays and lesbians. Pro-nudity students' relative tolerance for cultural diversity is discussed.
Study of the chlorpyrifos neurotoxicity using neural differentiation of adipose tissue‐derived stem cells

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is the most commonly used organophosphorus insecticide which causes neurodevelopmental toxicity. So far, animals have been used as ideal models for neurotoxicity studies, but working with animals is very expensive, laborious, and ethically challenging. This has encouraged researchers to seek alternatives. During recent years, several studies have reported successful differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells to neurons. This has provided an excellent model for neurotoxicologic studies. In this study, neural differentiation of mouse adipose tissue‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) was used as an in vitro model for investigation of CPF neurotoxicity. For this purpose, mouse ADSCs were cultured in a medium containing knockout serum replacement and were treated with different concentrations of CPF at several stages of differentiation. Cytotoxic effect of CPF and the expression of neuron‐specific genes and proteins were studied in the differentiating ADSCs. Furthermore, the activity of acetylcholinesterase was assessed by Ellman assay at different stages of differentiation. This study showed that up to 500 μM CPF did not alter viability of the undifferentiated ADSCs, whereas viability of the differentiating cells decreased with 500 μM CPF. CPF upregulated the expression of some neuron‐specific genes and seemed to decrease the number of β‐tubulin III and MAP2 proteins‐expressing cells. There was no detectable acetylcholine esterase activity in differentiated ADSCs. In summary, it was shown that CPF treatment can decrease the viability of ADSC‐derived neurons and dysregulate the expression of some neuronal markers through acetylcholinesterase‐independent mechanisms. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1510–1519, 2016.
Predictors of vulnerability to AIDS risk behavior relapse.

Sixty-eight gay men who earlier attended AIDS prevention sessions were longitudinally followed for 16 months and categorized as successful or unsuccessful in change maintenance. Psychological and behavioral data obtained prior to entry in the prevention program were used as variables to predict long-term change. Resumption of high-risk sexual practices was associated with younger age, earlier history of frequent unprotected receptive anal intercourse with multiple partners, greater number of past sex partners, reinforcement value levels of high-risk practices and condom use, intoxication preceding sex, lower scores on a depression measure, greater belief that HIV infection is largely determined by external factors such as chance or luck, and homosexuality "outness. " Discriminant analysis revealed that 86% of Ss could be classified as relapsers or change-maintainers on the basis of these variables. Prevention implications are discussed.
Remembered preoperative Quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (QuickDASH) scores

The Quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (QuickDASH) patient-reported outcome measure is frequently used to assess disabilities and symptoms of the upper extremity. This study compares real preoperative QuickDASH scores and remembered preoperative QuickDASH scores. Remembered preoperative QuickDASH scores were obtained 45 months (39–67) after surgery. Patient material consisted of 160 patients operated for Dupuytren’s contracture, carpal tunnel syndrome, thumb basal joint arthrosis, and shoulder pain. All patients had completed QuickDASH questionnaires before surgery. Paired T-tests, linear mixed models, and limits of agreement were used for analyses. There was a significant difference between remembered and real preoperative scores (mean 7.6, SD 15.6; SEM 1.2). Neither diagnosis, age, gender, nor time between surgery and review influenced the difference significantly. A linear mixed model was constructed to investigate the ability to retrospectively predict preoperative QuickDASH scores. Remembered preoperative QuickDASH cannot be used in individual patients because of the high inaccuracy. Level of evidence: III
Eating disorders part II: clinical strategies for dental treatment.

AIM To present the strategies of treatment for dental implications of eating disorders. METHODS AND MATERIALS A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted with special emphasis on the treatment of the oral implications of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, dividing the treatment into different parts. RESULTS Oral manifestations of eating disorders represent a challenge to the dental practitioner. Dental erosion, caries, xerostomia, enlargement of parotide glands, traumatized oral mucosa, and other oral manifestations may present in anorexic and bulimic patients. CONCLUSION Often the dentist is the first healthcare provider to observe the clinical symptoms of an eating disorder. Dental treatment should be carried out simultaneously with the medical treatment. However, dentists are not aware of the fundamental importance of the dentist's participation in the multidisciplinary treatment and no training is provided with regard to the strategies involved in the dental treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Oral complications of eating disorders are a major concern. The difficulties of recognizing the oral manifestations, and the failure to do so, may lead to serious systemic problems in addition to progressive and irreversible damage to the oral hard tissues. Considering the increasing incidence and prevalence rates of eating disorders, the dentist's participation and dental treatment should be discussed.
The fear of being laughed at: Individual and group differences in Gelotophobia

Abstract Single case studies led to the discovery and phenomenological description of Gelotophobia and its definition as the pathological fear of appearing to social partners as a ridiculous object (Titze 1995, 1996, 1997). The aim of the present study is to empirically examine the core assumptions about the fear of being laughed at in a sample comprising a total of 863 clinical and non-clinical participants. Discriminant function analysis yielded that gelotophobes can be separated from other shame-based neurotics, non-shame-based neurotics, and controls. Separation was best for statements specifically describing the gelotophobic symptomatology and less potent for more general questions describing socially avoidant behaviors. Factor analysis demonstrates that while Gelotophobia is composed of a set of correlated elements in homogenous samples, overall the concept is best conceptualized as unidimensional. Predicted and actual group membership converged well in a cross-classification (approximately 69% of correctly classified cases). Overall, it can be concluded that the fear of being laughed at varies tremendously among adults and might hold a key to understanding certain forms of humorlessness.
Differential cholinoceptor modulation of nitric oxide isoforms in experimentally-induced inflammation of dental pulp tissue.

AIM The aim of the study was to investigate the role of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) activity in the regulation of endothelial (e), neuronal (n) and inducible (i) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and expression in experimentally induced inflammation of rat dental pulp tissue. METHODOLOGY Inflammation was induced by application of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the pulp. Extirpated pulp-tissue samples were incubated in saline solution until the various experiments were performed. Saline-treated pulp and healthy pulp tissues were used as controls. NOS activity was measured by the production of [U-(14)C]-citrulline from [U-(14)C]-arginine. Nitrite/nitrate assay was evaluated by the conversion of nitrate to nitrite in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. i-nos, e-nos and n-nos mRNA levels were measured using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction by co-amplification of target cDNA with a single set of primers. RESULTS Application of LPS to the pulp increased NOS activity and nitrate production (P < 0.001), generated by iNOS over-activity and expression. Pilocarpine acting on mAChRs triggered a biphasic action on NOS activity and NO accumulation. At low concentrations, pilocarpine induced a negative effect associated with a decrease in i-nos mRNA level, whilst at high concentration, it produced a positive effect associated with increased e-nos and n-nos mRNA levels. In control pulp tissue, only the positive effect of pilocarpine was observed. CONCLUSIONS Irreversible pulpitis changes mAChR conformation increasing its efficiency of coupling to transducing molecules that in turn induce activate iNOS. The capacity of pilocarpine to prevent NO accumulation and iNOS activity, by acting on mAChR mutation induced by pulpitis, might be useful therapeutically as a local treatment.
Measuring Mental Toughness in Sport: A Psychometric Examination of the Psychological Performance Inventory–A and Its Predecessor

Touted as a multidimensional measure of mental toughness in sport, this study explored the psychometric properties of the Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI; Loehr, 1986) and its successor the Psychological Performance Inventory–A (PPI–A; Golby, Sheard, & Van Wersch, 2007). Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the extent to which data collected with 333 Australian footballers aged between 15 and 18 years (M = 16.88, SD = .71) fitted the a priori measurement models of both inventories. The results did not support the psychometric properties of the PPI both in terms of model fit and internal consistency. Although model fit data for the PPI–A were encouraging, inadequate levels of internal consistency were evidenced. Convergent validity analyses involving measures of achievement goals and global mental toughness generally supported the validity of the PPI and PPI–A subscales. Taken together with previous research (e.g., Middleton et al., 2004), caution is urged when considering the use of the PPI as a measure of mental toughness in sport. Although the empirical data were generally supportive of the psychometric properties of the PPI–A, conceptual (e.g., lack of conceptual underpinnings) and methodological (i.e., revalidated a flawed inventory) concerns become important factors when considering the PPI–A as a measure of mental toughness.
The semitendinosus tenodesis for recurrent dislocation of the patella.

1. Semitendinosus tenodesis with adequate lateral release for recurrent dislocation of the patella has a high success rate and a low complication rate. 2. The technique of operation is simple. 3. Its particular application is in the young patient before epiphysial closure, although it can give good results in the older patient.
Toward Animal Cell Culture–Based Influenza Vaccine Design: Viral Hemagglutinin N-Glycosylation Markedly Impacts Immunogenicity

The glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase are the major determinants of host range and tissue tropism of the influenza virus. HA is the most abundant protein in the virus particle membrane and represents the basis of most influenza vaccines. It has been reported that influenza virus HA N-glycosylation markedly depends on the host cell line used for virus production. However, little is known about how differential glycosylation affects immunogenicity of the viral proteins. This is of importance for virus propagation in chicken eggs as well as for innovative influenza vaccine production in mammalian cell lines. In this study, we investigated the impact of the differential N-glycosylation patterns of two influenza A virus PR/8/34 (H1N1) variants on immunogenicity. Madin–Darby canine kidney cell–derived and Vero cell–derived glycovariants were analyzed for immunogenicity in a TCR-HA transgenic mouse model. Next-generation pyrosequencing validated the congruence of the potential HA N-glycosylation sites as well as the presence of the HA peptide recognized by the TCR-HA transgenic T cells. We show that differential HA N-glycosylation markedly affected T cell activation and cytokine production in vitro and moderately influenced IL-2 production in vivo. Cocultivation assays indicated that the difference in immunogenicity was mediated by CD11c+ dendritic cells. Native virus deglycosylation by endo- and exoglycosidases dramatically reduced cytokine production by splenocytes in vitro and markedly decreased HA-specific Ab production in vivo. In conclusion, this study indicates a crucial importance of HA N-glycosylation for immunogenicity. Our findings have implications for cell line–based influenza vaccine design.
Time Variability of the Neutral Iron Lines from the Sagittarius B2 Region and Its Implication of a Past Outburst of Sagittarius A

We investigated long-term X-ray behavior from the Sgr B2 complex using archival data of the X-ray satellites Suzaku, XMM-Newton, Chandra, and ASCA. The observed region of the Sgr B2 complex included two prominent spots in the Fe I K line at 6.40 keV, a giant molecular cloud, M 0.66 0.02, known as the “Sgr B2 cloud” and an unusual X-ray source, G0.570 0.018. Although these 6.40 keV spots have spatial extensions of a few parsec scale, the morphology and flux of the 6.40 keV line has been time variable for 10 years, in contrast to the constant flux of the Fe XXV K line at 6.67 keV in the Galactic diffuse X-ray emission. This time variation is mostly due to M 0.66 0.02; the 6.40 keV line flux declined in 2001, and decreased to 60% in the time span 1994–2005. The other spot, G0.570 0.018, is found to be conspicuous only in the Chandra observation in 2000. From the long-term time variability ( 10 years) of the Sgr B2 complex, we infer that the Galactic Center black hole Sgr A was X-ray bright in the past 300 years, and exhibited a time variability with a period of a few years.
Development of time-resolved immunofluorometric assays for the detection of house dust mite-allergic IgE in human sera

Dermatophagoides farinae and D. pteronyssinus are the prevalent house dust mites (HDM) in tropical countries and are associated with allergic diseases. This investigation developed a time- resolved immunofluorometric assay (TR-IFMA) for the first time to detect specific IgE antibody in patients with skin prick test positive to HDM but no detectable IgE by other means. Levels of IgE to natural and recombinant HDM allergens were measured by TR-IFMA in 50 HDM-allergic patients and 19 healthy participants compared to sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A recombinant allergen, rDerf2, showed a 14 kDa band corresponding to broad range proteins of natural HDM.TR-IFMA showed sensitivity lower than 0.35 kUA/l. TR-IFMA employing three HDM antigens showed good correlations with sandwich ELISA at R2 0.93-0.96. TR-IFMA detected HDM IgE in 62, 62, 25 percent of allergic patient serum sample compared to 28, 32, and 22 percent detected by ELISA result using three HDM allergen. TR-IFMA also detected 26.3, 31.6, and 5.3 percent positive samples from 19 healthy participants while ELISA showed 0, 5.3, and 0 percents IgE positive samples. The use of rDerf2 as an HDM allergen for the assay was verified with no statistically different from other HDM allergens. TR-IFMA showed lower detection limit than ELISA and yielded higher sensitivity for serum of people with allergic symptoms with no detectable HDM IgE. It is anticipated that TR-IFMA for HDM-specific IgE detection will play an important role in future diagnosis of HDM allergy in clinical laboratories and for different research purposes.
Risk factors for cesarean section after using the Foley catheter for labor induction.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate the value of the Bishop score and ultrasound examination of the cervix in predicting the success of labor induction with the use of the Foley catheter determined by the mode of delivery MATERIAL AND METHODS Foley catheter induction of labor was performed in 135 pregnancies between 38 to 42 weeks gestation. The study group was divided into two groups, depending of the mode of delivery: vaginal vs. cesarean. RESULTS The Bishop score was significantly higher in the vaginal delivery group when compared to the caesarean section group (5.2; 95%CI: 4.4 - 6.2 vs. 3.9; 95%CI: 2.8-4.9). Cervical length was not statistically significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression showed that patient-specific risk for caesarean section decreases with increasing maternal age and the Bishop score (Detection Rate [DR] of 52% at fixed False Positive Rate [FPR] of 10%). CONCLUSIONS Failure of labor induction with the use of the Foley catheter can be predicted by maternal age and pre-induction Bishop score.
Comparative analysis of three commercial saliva testing kits with a standard saliva buffering test.

BACKGROUND In 1959, Ericsson developed a laboratory buffer capacity test. Because the Ericsson test is not practical for use as a chair-side test, commercially available saliva buffering capacity tests have been developed for use in the dental office. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between a modified Ericsson test and three commercially available quantitative and colourimetric tests. METHODS Stimulated saliva (by chewing paraffin wax) was collected from 113 patients. Individual saliva buffering capacity was assessed with the following four different methods: modified Ericsson test; quantitative test using a hand-held pH meter; paper strip; or liquid colourimetric test. The correlations of ranking results among the different tests were analysed using the Spearman Rank Correlation Test, p < 0.001. RESULTS Spearman Rank Correlation indicated significant positive coefficients between the modified Ericsson test and the quantitative test (rho = 0.857), the paper strip colourimetric test (rho = 0.621) and the liquid-type colourimetric test (rho = 0.689). CONCLUSION The detection level of medium and high buffering capacity was test dependent. The quantitative test using a hand-held pH meter showed a stronger positive correlation with the modified Ericsson test. The qualitative tests seemed less reliable, particularly for patients classified as having a medium buffering capacity.