Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordinated Changes of Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Antioxidant Enzymes During Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The multidifferentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells holds great promise for cell therapy. Numerous studies have focused on the establishment of differentiation protocols, whereas little attention has been paid to the metabolic changes during the differentiation process. Mitochondria, the powerhouse of mammalian cells, vary in their number and function in different cell types with different energy demands, but how these variations are associated with cell differentiation remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the changes of mitochondrial biogenesis and bioenergetic function using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) because of their well‐defined differentiation potentials. Upon osteogenic induction, the copy number of mitochondrial DNA, protein subunits of the respiratory enzymes, oxygen consumption rate, and intracellular ATP content were increased, indicating the upregulation of aerobic mitochondrial metabolism. On the other hand, undifferentiated hMSCs showed higher levels of glycolytic enzymes and lactate production rate, suggesting that hMSCs rely more on glycolysis for energy supply in comparison with hMSC‐differentiated osteoblasts. In addition, we observed a dramatic decrease of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a consequence of upregulation of two antioxidant enzymes, manganese‐dependent superoxide dismutase and catalase. Finally, we found that exogenous H2O2 and mitochondrial inhibitors could retard the osteogenic differentiation. These findings suggested an energy production transition from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation in hMSCs upon osteogenic induction. Meanwhile, antioxidant enzymes were concurrently upregulated to prevent the accumulation of intracellular ROS. Together, our findings suggest that coordinated regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant enzymes occurs synergistically during osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs.
INFLUENCE OF EXPOSURE TO FACEBOOK ON SELF- ESTEEM

The study examines the influence that activities on Facebook have on self-esteem. It aims at finding whether Facebook activities will increase or decrease users’ self-esteem. 192 students selected from two universities participated in the study and their age ranges between 16 to 35 years. Data were collected with the use of two standardized research instruments namely Facebook Intensity Questionnaire (FBI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). The data were analyzed using t-test for independent groups and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Four hypotheses were tested and results show a significant positive influence of Facebook on self-esteem. Age was found to have significant influence on selfesteem but not on Facebook usage. Also, no significant difference exists between female and male usage of Facebook. Findings also indicated that using headphones for Facebooking does not bring about greater self-esteem over those using desktop and laptop computers for Facebooking. It was concluded that engaging in Facebook activities will positively influence the self-esteem of Facebook users.
Satisfaction with inpatient treatment for first-episode psychosis among different ethnic groups: A report from the UK ÆSOP study

Background: There is concern about the level of satisfaction with mental healthcare among minority ethnic patients in the UK, particularly as black patients have more compulsory admissions to hospital. Aims: To determine and compare levels of satisfaction with mental healthcare between patients from different ethnic groups in a three-centre study of first-onset psychosis. Method: Data were collected from 216 patients with first-episode psychosis and 101 caregivers from South London, Nottingham and Bristol, using the Acute Services Study Questionnaire (Patient and Relative Version) and measures of sociodemographic variables and insight. Results: No differences were found between ethnic groups in most domains of satisfaction tested individually, including items relating to treatment by ward staff and number of domains rated as satisfactory. However, logistic regression modelling (adjusting for age, gender, social class, diagnostic category and compulsion) showed that black Caribbean patients did not believe that they were receiving the right treatment and were less satisfied with medication than white patients. Black African patients were less satisfied with non-pharmacological treatments than white patients. These findings were not explained by lack of insight or compulsory treatment. Conclusions: The study found that black patients were less satisfied with specific aspects of treatment, particularly medication, but were equally satisfied with nursing and social care. Understanding the reasons behind this may improve the acceptability of psychiatric care to black minority ethnic groups.
CAPITAL ASSET PRICES: A THEORY OF MARKET EQUILIBRIUM UNDER CONDITIONS OF RISK*

One of the problems which has plagued thouse attempting to predict the behavior of capital marcets is the absence of a body of positive of microeconomic theory dealing with conditions of risk/ Althuogh many usefull insights can be obtaine from the traditional model of investment under conditions of certainty, the pervasive influense of risk in finansial transactions has forced those working in this area to adobt models of price behavior which are little more than assertions. A typical classroom explanation of the determinationof capital asset prices, for example, usually begins with a carefull and relatively rigorous description of the process through which individuals preferences and phisical relationship to determine an equilibrium pure interest rate. This is generally followed by the assertion that somehow a market risk-premium is also determined, with the prices of asset adjusting accordingly to account for differences of their risk.
Intravenously Administered Immunoglobulin in the Treatment of Childhood Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Randomized Trial

Objective. To determine the optimal treatment for childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Methods. We performed a randomized, multicenter study of GBS according to international diagnostic criteria. In study 1 (early treatment), children able to walk unaided for 5 meters were randomized for 1 g/kg intravenously administered immunoglobulin (IVIG) over 2 days or no treatment. The primary outcome measure was the degree of disability at nadir. In study 2 (treatment for severe GBS), children unable to walk 5 meters unaided were randomized for 1 g/kg IVIG over 2 days or 0.4 g/kg IVIG over 5 days. The primary outcome measure was the number of days needed to regain the ability to walk unaided. Children randomized for no treatment in study 1 could enter study 2 if loss of unaided walking occurred. Results. Ninety-five children with GBS were registered in 40 months. Twenty-one children were randomized in study 1 and 51 in study 2 (5 after deterioration in study 1). Twenty-eight children were not randomized for various reasons. Eleven of 21 patients in study 1 lost the ability to walk unassisted and 6 were bedridden, with no statistically significant difference between the children initially randomized for treatment versus no treatment. Recovery occurred faster in the group randomized for early treatment. In study 2, recovery did not differ significantly between the children treated for 2 days versus 5 days (median time to unaided walking: 19 days vs 13 days). Secondary transient deterioration in the disability score occurred more frequently in the group with the 2-day regimen than in the group treated for 5 days (5 of 23 patients vs 0 of 23 patients). Multivariate analysis with Cox regression showed that disease severity at the nadir was the only prognostic factor for recovery. Conclusions. Treatment with IVIG before loss of unaided walking did not give rise to a less severe course, but recovery occurred somewhat faster. However, given the small number of patients, the power of this conclusion is low. For treatment after loss of unaided walking, there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of 2 g/kg IVIG administered over 2 days versus 5 days. Early “relapses” occurred more frequently after the shorter treatment regimen.
Persistence of gentamicin residues in milk after the intramammary treatment of lactating cows for mastitis

This study was designed to investigate persistence of gentamicin residues in milk after the intramammary treatment of lactating cows for mastitis. Milk samples were collected at a 1-d interval after the last administration from 34 individual cows that had received intramammary infusions of gentamicin. The doses and treatment times evaluated in this study represented those that have been applied by veterinarians in practice. The tetrazolium chloride assay was used to determine whether there were significant residues of the antibiotic in the samples. Persistence of detectable drug residues in milk from 33 cows (28 cows, ≤6 infusions at ≤0.7 g gentamicin; and 5 cows, 2 infusions at 0.8 g gentamicin) did not exceed 5 d; but 1 cow (5 infusions at 0.8 g gentamicin) had detectable residues in its milk for 9 d. Our results suggest that a 5-d milk withdrawal period might be insufficient to secure the clearance of the contamination of gentamicin, because treatment times and dosages contribute to the antibiotic clearance. A larger scale of samples are needed for further investigations.
Multivariate fixed‐ and random‐effects models for summarizing ordinal data in meta‐analysis of diagnostic staging studies

For many diseases (e.g. rectal cancer and the Crohn disease), more than two stages exist and as treatment mostly depends on disease stages, correctly determining this by a diagnostic test is very important. To determine their role in clinical practice, the value of these tests should be carefully evaluated, and summarizing results in meta‐analysis should also be done appropriately. A multinomial model for meta‐analyzing data with more than two categories has previously been developed; these data were considered as nominal categories. However, there is an ordinal character within staging data. In this study we extended this multinomial model to three ordinal models (models for the logits of adjacent‐categories, for continuation‐ratio logits and for proportional odds logits) to summarize the ordinal character of staging data. Both fixed‐ and random‐effects approaches were developed and compared. The principles of the multinomial model as well as three ordinal models are shown by fitting these models using the data on staging of rectal cancer by endoluminal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. The proportions of patients correctly staged, understaged, and overstaged per stage are obtained by these models. Because of the increased interest in meta‐analyses for evidence‐based guidelines, these models can be helpful in summarizing staging data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of hearing loss and age on the benefit of spatial separation between multiple talkers in reverberant rooms.

This study investigated the interaction between hearing loss, reverberation, and age on the benefit of spatially separating multiple masking talkers from a target talker. Four listener groups were tested based on hearing status and age. On every trial listeners heard three different sentences spoken simultaneously by different female talkers. Listeners reported keywords from the target sentence, which was presented at a fixed and known location. Maskers were colocated with the target or presented from spatially separated and symmetrically placed loudspeakers, creating a situation with no simple "better-ear. " Reverberation was also varied. The target-to-masker ratio at threshold for identification of the fixed-level target was measured by adapting the level of the maskers. On average, listeners with hearing loss showed less spatial release from masking than normal-hearing listeners. Age was a significant factor although small differences in hearing sensitivity across age groups may have contributed to this effect. Spatial release was reduced in the more reverberant room condition but in most cases a significant advantage remained. These results provide evidence for a large benefit of spatial separation in a multitalker situation that is likely due to perceptual factors. However, this benefit is significantly reduced by both hearing loss and reverberation.
The Effect of Oat Hulls on the Dental Caries Experience in Rats

IT has been suggested that oat hulls are anticariogenic, since their addition to the diet of laboratory animals has been observed to reduce both the incidence and severity of the various lesions.1 The actual identity of this factor or factors present in the oat hulls which confer this anticariogenicity to the diet is not known, although certain evidence suggests that it is a nitrogenous base conjugated with palmitic acid.2 Additional studies in this interesting nutritional area are needed in order to determine the effect that other dietary vehicles have upon the relationship between oat hulls and dental caries. Also, in the present study, the effect of adding oat hulls to the diet was investigated at two different dietary levels since previous experience had shown that certain substances may increase the caries experience, or have less of an anticariogenic effect, instead of reducing the caries rate, when the dietary content is increased.3
A novel peptide modulates α7 nicotinic receptor responses: implications for a possible trophic‐toxic mechanism within the brain

The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) plays a key role in neural development and neurodegeneration. Here, we identify a novel, modulatory receptor ligand, a 14‐amino acid peptide (AEFHRWSSYMVHWK) derived from the C‐terminus of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In three different in vitro preparations, this ‘AChE‐peptide’ is bioactive in a ligand‐specific and concentration‐dependent manner. First, it modulates acutely the effect of acetylcholine (ACh) on Xenopus oocytes transfected with human α7, but not α4/β2, nAChR. The action persists when intracellular calcium is chelated with BAPTA or when calcium is substituted with barium ions. This observation suggests that intracellular Ca2+ signals do not mediate the interaction between the peptide and nAChR, but rather that the interaction is direct: however, the intervention of other mediators cannot be excluded. Secondly, in recordings from the CA1 region in guinea‐pig hippocampal slices, AChE‐peptide modulates synaptic plasticity in a α‐bungarotoxin (α‐BgTx)‐sensitive manner. Thirdly, in organotypic cultures of rat hippocampus, long‐term exposure to peptide attenuates neurite outgrowth: this chronic, functional effect is selectively blocked by the α7 nAChR antagonists, α‐BgTx and methyllycaconitine, but not by the α4/β2‐preferring blocker dihydro‐β‐ethroidine. A scrambled peptide variant, and the analogous peptide from butyrylcholinesterase, are ineffective in all three paradigms. The consequences of this novel modulation of the α7 nAChR may be activation of a trophic‐toxic axis, of relevance to neurodegeneration.
Screening young people for autism with the developmental behavior checklist.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a subset of items from the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC) could be selected to construct a reliable autism screening tool. METHOD A 29-item scale-the Developmental Behavior Checklist-Autism Screening Algorithm (DBC-ASA)-was developed by using items from the DBC and evaluated in a sample comprising 180 children who met criteria for autism and 180 controls matched for age, sex, and IQ range. RESULTS This study found that the DBC-ASA has good validity in discriminating young people (4-18 years) with autism and IQ ranging from normal to severe intellectual disability from others using a cutoff score of 17. CONCLUSION The DBC-ASA is an effective autism screening questionnaire for at-risk young people, including those with intellectual disability.
A β-Tubulin Leucine Cluster Involved in Microtubule Assembly and Paclitaxel Resistance* 210

Analysis of β-tubulin alleles from nine paclitaxel-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell lines revealed an unexpected cluster of mutations affecting Leu-215, Leu-217, and Leu-228. Six of the mutant alleles encode a His, Arg, or Phe substitution at Leu-215; another mutant allele has an Arg substitution at Leu-217; and the final two mutant alleles have substitutions of His or Phe at Leu-228. Using plasmids that allow tetracycline regulated expression, the L215H, L217R, and L228F mutations were introduced into a hemagglutinin antigen-tagged β-tubulin cDNA and transfected into wild-type Chinese hamster ovary cells. In all three cases, low to moderate expression of the transfected mutant gene conferred paclitaxel resistance. Higher levels of expression caused disruption of microtubule assembly, cell cycle arrest at mitosis, and failure to proliferate. Consistent with reduced microtubule stability, cells expressing mutant hemagglutinin β-tubulin had fewer acetylated microtubules than nonexpressing cells in the same population. These data, together with previous studies showing that the paclitaxel-resistant mutant cell lines have less stable microtubules, indicate that the leucine cluster represents an important structural motif for microtubule assembly.
New insight on β‐lactoglobulin binding sites by 1‐anilinonaphthalene‐8‐sulfonate fluorescence decay

The fluorescence time decay parameters of the β‐lactoglobulin‐1‐anilinonaphthalene‐8‐sulfonate complex have been investigated under physical and chemical perturbations (2 < pH < 8 and added electrolyte 0 < NaCl < 0.5 M) to obtain new insight on the nature of the protein binding interactions. A double exponential decay of the bound probe lifetime has been confirmed by the presence of a longer component, 11 to 14.5 ns, and a shorter component, 2.5 to 3.5 ns. The two lifetimes are ascribed to different binding modes associated also with different exposure to the solvent; in particular, the longer component is attributed to binding inside the hydrophobic beta barrel, while a “surface” site is suggested for the shorter component. A detailed analysis of the lifetime fractional intensities correlates the binding constants with ionic strength and supports the presence of electrostatic effects at both sites. A Debye–Hückel approach, applied to extrapolate the electrostatic free energy contribution vs. pH at vanishing ionic strength, gives interesting clues on the effective charge felt by the ANS ligands in the proximity of each site. In particular, binding is found to parallel the aspartate and glutamate titrations between pH 3 and pH 4.5; the “surface” site mainly responds to the presence of these local titrating charges while the “internal” site more closely follows the overall protein net charge.
Usefulness of measuring reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent in the management of haemodialysis patients with iron deficiency

The evaluation of iron status in dialysis patients provides information essential to the planning of adequate recombinant human erythropoietin treatment. The cellular iron status of the patients can be determined from the recently available measurement of reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (RET‐He). RET‐He is measured on the basis of automated fluorescent flow cytometry which in the reticulocyte channel, using a polymethine dye, also measures the mean value of the forward light scatter intensity of mature red blood cells and reticulocytes. These values equate with reticulocyte hemoglobin content. In this study, to clarify the accuracy of RET‐He in diagnosing iron deficiency in dialysis patients, we initially compared RET‐He with such iron parameters as serum ferritin levels, transferrin saturation and content of reticulocyte hemoglobin (CHr) which has been established as indicators of functional iron deficiency. Secondly, we investigated the changes in RET‐He during iron supplementation for iron‐deficient patients to determine whether this marker is a prospective and reliable indicator of iron sufficiency. The participants in this study were 217 haemodialysis patients. Iron deficiency was defined as havsing a transferrin saturation (TSAT) < 20% or serum ferritin < 100 ng/ml. Conventional parameters of red blood cells and RET‐He were measured by on a XE‐2100 automated blood cell counter (Sysmex). CHr was measured on an ADVIA120 autoanalyser (Siemens). RET‐He mean value was 32.4 pg and good correlation (r = 0.858) between RET‐He and CHr is obtained in dialysis patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed, values of the area was 0.776 and at a cutoff value of 33.0 pg, a sensitivity of 74.3% and a specificity of 64.9%, were achieved. Iron supplements given to the patients with low TSAT or ferritin, RET‐He responded within 2 weeks, and this seemed to be a potential advantage of using RET‐He in the estimation of iron status. RET‐He is a new parameter, equivalent value to CHr, and is easily measurable on the widely spread and popular blood cell counter and is a sensitive and specific marker of iron status in dialysis patients.
Malignant mixed tumors arising in salivary glands. I. Carcinomas arising in benign mixed tumors: A clinicopathologic study

Forty‐seven cases of malignant mixed tumor (MMT) arising in major and minor salivary glands are presented. By definition, all these lesions contained both a benign mixed tumor (BMT) as well as a malignant neoplasm, usually a poorly differentiated carcinoma. In some cases, the carcinoma developed in a previously untreated salivary gland mass which was known to have been present for many years, others evolved in a recurrent previously resected BMT and still others originated in a previously undetected BMT. Adverse prognostic factors included: carcinomatous involvement of the resection lines, perineural invasion, metastases in lymph nodes, and origin in a major salivary gland. Lesions arising in the palate had a better prognosis as compared to major salivary gland tumors. Some patients died of locally uncontrollable tumor and others because of metastatic disease. Local recurrences of MMT were seen frequently; 18 patients (38%) had a total of 32 local recurrences. Of patients followed five years or more, seven (35%) had died of tumor, 11 (55%) had no evidence of disease, and two (10%) had died of other causes. Prolonged followup is required because recurrences and death from tumor may be seen many years following the diagnosis of MMT. Recommendations for therapy are made. Criteria for differentiating MMT from recurrent BMT and from cylindromatous carcinoma are discussed.