Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening Obese Children and Adolescents for Prediabetes and/or Type 2 Diabetes in Pediatric Practices

Background. Increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) makes it important for pediatricians to use effective screening tools for risk assessment of prediabetes/T2DM in children. Methods. Children (n = 149) who had an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were studied. American Diabetes Association recommended screening criteria—HbA1c ≥5.7% and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥100 mg/dL—were compared against OGTT. The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a mathematical index derived from fasting insulin and glucose, was compared with OGTT. We studied whether combining screening tests (HbA1c and fasting glucose or HbA1c and HOMA-IR) improved accuracy of prediction of the OGTT. Results. HbA1c of ≥5.7% had a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 57% when compared with the OGTT. Combining screening tests (HbA1c ≥5.7% and FPG ≥100 mg/dL; HbA1c ≥5.7% and HOMA-IR ≥3.4) resulted in improved sensitivity (95.5% for each), with the HbA1c-FPG doing better than the HbA1c-HOMA-IR combination in terms of ability to rule out prediabetes (likelihood ratio [LR]) negative. 0.07 vs 0.14). Conclusions. HbA1c of ≥5.7% provided fair discrimination of glucose tolerance compared with the OGTT. The combination of HbA1c and FPG is a useful method for identifying children who require an OGTT.
Economic factors affecting the level of beef production from ranching: an example of Kenya's cattle sector

An econometric method was used to determine the economic factors that influence the level of beef production from ranches in one of the range areas in Kenya. The study also used both cross section and time-series data through pooling to increase the number of observations for more efficient parameter estimates. Commercial offtake was adopted as a measure of the level of beef output while regression equitions were fitted to the pooled data to estimate beef price, beef income and stocking rate among the economic factors influencing offtake, prices were found to have a short-run negative effect. But, the long-run price response was positive, indicating that when prices are raised, cattle owners tend to withhold animals to allow for increases in future output; this action leads to higher offtake rates in later years. Therefore, the livestock sector apparently has unusual characteristic in as much as offtake tends to be perverse to price changes. This characteristic contrasts with the supply response of most field crops whose output is expected to increase immediately in response to price increases
Firms, Managers and Restructuring: Implications of a Social Economics View

This contribution recalls that most mergers undertaken by large firms fail economically and subsequently argues that this is to be expected in an economy that is dominated by the few. This expectation follows if one is prepared to drop maximization-rationality presumptions, and instead adopts a view that allows firms to behave strategically. More in particular, the author argues that firms tend to imitate their peers for a mixture of reasons, especially in order to reduce the risk of falling behind. This phenomenon is able to account for the fact that mergers and acquisitions always appear in waves. After the peak, and because of the high failure rates, many mergers must be broken up again, which is something that currently belongs to the expertise of private equity leveraged buy out firms. This is not without its own problems, however. Rather than accepting the costs of such restructuring carrousels, it is suggested to reintroduce the public purpose standard in merger control so that inefficient mergers will become less normal. ∗ The author is grateful to editor Dolfsma for encouragement and comments on an earlier version.
Medication reconciliation by a pharmacist in the emergency department: a pilot project.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has defined medication reconciliation as “a formal process of obtain ing a complete and accurate list of each patient’s current home medications—including name, dosage, frequency and route— and comparing the physician’s admission, transfer, and/or dis charge orders to that list. Discrepancies are brought to the attention of the prescriber and, if appropriate, changes are made to the orders. ” 1 The impetus behind this concept is to prevent adverse drug events. The Canadian Adverse Events Study reported an adverse event rate of 7.5% in Canadian hospitals, and 36% of the adverse events were deemed preventable. 2 Drug- and fluidrelated events together constituted the second most common type of adverse event. 2 Medication discrepancies can occur at any point in the medication use process, but the largest percentage of these discrepancies occur during the prescribing phase. 3-7 The presence of a pharmacist during patient care rounds and when prescriptions are written has been associated with a reduction in medication discrepancies at the ordering stage. 8-10
The bone-sparing effects of estrogen and WNT16 are independent of each other

Significance Previous studies demonstrate that endogenous wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT)16 is a crucial regulator of cortical bone mass. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that overexpression of WNT16 increases mainly trabecular bone mass. Both estrogen and WNT16 are crucial regulators of bone mass, but the possible interaction between WNT16-signaling and estrogen-signaling is unknown. To determine the possible interaction between WNT16 and estrogen signaling in bone, we developed and used two genetically modified mouse models with either constantly high osteoblastic Wnt16 expression or no Wnt16 expression. We demonstrated that the bone-sparing effects of estrogen and WNT16 are independent of each other. As WNT16 signaling in bone does not require normal estrogen action, we propose that WNT16-targeted therapies might be useful for treatment of postmenopausal trabecular bone loss. Wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT)16 is a key regulator of bone mass with high expression in cortical bone, and Wnt16−/− mice have reduced cortical bone mass. As Wnt16 expression is enhanced by estradiol treatment, we hypothesized that the bone-sparing effect of estrogen in females is WNT16-dependent. This hypothesis was tested in mechanistic studies using two genetically modified mouse models with either constantly high osteoblastic Wnt16 expression or no Wnt16 expression. We developed a mouse model with osteoblast-specific Wnt16 overexpression (Obl-Wnt16). These mice had several-fold elevated Wnt16 expression in both trabecular and cortical bone compared with wild type (WT) mice. Obl-Wnt16 mice displayed increased total body bone mineral density (BMD), surprisingly caused mainly by a substantial increase in trabecular bone mass, resulting in improved bone strength of vertebrae L3. Ovariectomy (ovx) reduced the total body BMD and the trabecular bone mass to the same degree in Obl-Wnt16 mice and WT mice, suggesting that the bone-sparing effect of estrogen is WNT16-independent. However, these bone parameters were similar in ovx Obl-Wnt16 mice and sham operated WT mice. The role of WNT16 for the bone-sparing effect of estrogen was also evaluated in Wnt16−/− mice. Treatment with estradiol increased the trabecular and cortical bone mass to a similar extent in both Wnt16−/− and WT mice. In conclusion, the bone-sparing effects of estrogen and WNT16 are independent of each other. Furthermore, loss of endogenous WNT16 results specifically in cortical bone loss, whereas overexpression of WNT16 surprisingly increases mainly trabecular bone mass. WNT16-targeted therapies might be useful for treatment of postmenopausal trabecular bone loss.
The science of making better decisions about health: Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis

Despite spending far more on medical care, Americans live shorter lives than the citizens of other high-income countries. The situation has been getting worse for at least three decades. This paper describes the main scientific methods for guiding the allocation of resources to health – cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA), sketches their methodological progress over the last several decades, and presents examples of how medical practice in other high-income countries, where people live longer, follows the priorities indicated by cost-effectiveness analysis. CEA and CBA support democratic decision-making processes, which have themselves benefited from scientific inquiry; these are touched on at the end of the paper.
Effect of Peroxynitrite on the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain: Differential Susceptibility of Neurones and Astrocytes in Primary Culture

Abstract: The effect of the neurotoxic nitric oxide derivative, the peroxynitrite anion (ONOO−), on the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes in cultured neurones and astrocytes was studied. A single exposure of the neurones to ONOO− (initial concentrations of 0.01–2.0 mM) caused, after a subsequent 24‐h incubation, a dose‐dependent decrease in succinate‐cytochrome c reductase (60% at 0.5 mM) and in cytochrome c oxidase (52% at 0.5 mM) activities. NADH‐ubiquinone‐1 reductase was unaffected. In astrocytes, the activity of the mitochondrial complexes was not affected up to 2 mM ONOO−. Citrate synthase was unaffected in both cell types under all conditions studied. However, lactate dehydrogenase activity released to the culture medium was increased by ONOO− in a dose‐dependent manner (40% at 0.5 mM ONOO−) from the neurones but not from the astrocytes. Neuronal glutathione concentration decreased by 39% at 0.1 mM ONOO−, but astrocytic glutathione was not affected up to 2 mM ONOO−. In isolated brain mitochondria, only succinate‐cytochrome c reductase activity was affected (22% decrease at 1 mM ONOO−). We conclude that the acute exposure of ONOO− selectively damages neurones, whereas astrocytes remain unaffected. Intracellular glutathione appears to be an important factor for ameliorating ONOO−‐mediated mitochondrial damage. This study supports the hypothesis that the neurotoxicity of nitric oxide is mediated through mitochondrial dysfunction.
Eicosapentaenoic acid suppression of systemic inflammatory responses and inverse up‐regulation of 15‐deoxyΔ12,14 Prostaglandin J2 production

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been shown to suppress immune cell responses, such as cytokine production and downstream PG production in vitro. Studies in vivo, however, have used EPA as a minor constituent of fish oil with variable results. We investigated the effects of EPA on systemic inflammatory responses as pure EPA has not been evaluated on immune/inflammatory responses in vivo.
Intergroup contact, social dominance, and environmental concern: A test of the cognitive-liberalization hypothesis.

Intergroup contact is among the most effective ways to improve intergroup attitudes. Although it is now beyond any doubt that contact can reduce prejudice, in this article we provide evidence that its benefits can extend beyond intergroup relations-a process referred to as cognitive liberalization (Hodson, Crisp, Meleady, & Earle, 2018). We focus specifically on the impact of intergroup contact on environmentally relevant attitudes and behavior. Recent studies suggest that support for an inequality-based ideology (social dominance orientation [SDO]) can predict both intergroup attitudes and broader environmental conduct. Individuals higher in SDO are more willing to exploit the environment in unsustainable ways because doing so aids the production and maintenance of hierarchical social structures. In 4 studies conducted with British adults, we show that by promoting less hierarchical and more egalitarian viewpoints (reduced SDO), intergroup contact encourages more environmentally responsible attitudes and behavior. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data support this model. Effects are more strongly explained by reductions in an antiegalitarian motive than a dominance motive. We discuss how these findings help define an expanded vision for intergroup contact theory that moves beyond traditional conflict-related outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Interaction between Chlamydia spp. and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro

Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies (EB) incubated in the presence of complement or specific antibody or both caused chemotaxis of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in vitro. Reticulate bodies and culture supernatants had no effect on these cells. The ability of chlamydiae to enter and survive in PMN under nonopsonizing conditions was investigated by measuring the association of 3H-labeled EB and of inclusion-forming units with these phagocytes. Both assays indicated that C. psittaci as well as C. trachomatis EB are efficiently internalized. The mechanism by which this is accomplished is distinct from classical phagocytosis in that it is not dependent upon the presence of complement or antibody. Furthermore, uptake of at least C. psittaci appeared to be rapid, with no additional increase occurring after 15 min. The majority of cell-associated chlamydiae were rendered acid soluble or noninfectious within 1 h. Subsequently, there was a small but steady loss of infectivity for up to 10 h, which may have been due to the conversion of EB to the noninfectious reticulate-body form of the organism. However, even at 10 h after entry a small percentage of bacteria was still capable of infecting a second target cell. This is noteworthy in that PMN are relatively short-lived cells, and after lysis, intracellular organisms may be free to infect adjacent tissue. Electron microscopic observations were consistent with the data on uptake and persistence. The ability of a small percentage of infecting chlamydiae to maintain infectivity in PMN for at least several hours may enable these organisms subsequently to establish productive infection in permissive host cells.
Beyond Compare: Metaphor In Organization Theory

Despite the increased salience of metaphor in organization theory, current perspectives are flawed and misguided in assuming that metaphor can be explained with the so-called comparison model. I therefore outline an alternative model of metaphor understanding—the domains-interaction model—which suggests that metaphor involves the conjunction of whole semantic domains in which a correspondence between terms or concepts is constructed rather than deciphered and where the resulting image and meaning is creative. I also discuss implications of this model for organizational theorizing and research.
Integration of biomechanical compliance, leverage, and power in elephant limbs

The structure and motion of elephant limbs are unusual compared with those of other animals. Elephants stand and move with straighter limbs (at least when walking), and have limited speed and gait. We devised novel experiments to examine how the limbs of elephants support and propel their mass and to explore the factors that may constrain locomotor performance in these largest of living land animals. We demonstrate that elephant limbs are remarkably compliant even in walking, which maintains low peak forces. Dogma defines elephant limbs as extremely “columnar” for effective weight support, but we demonstrate that limb effective mechanical advantage (EMA) is roughly one-third of that predicted for their size. EMA in elephants is actually smaller than that in horses, which are only one-tenth their mass; it is comparable to human limb values. EMA drops sharply with speed in elephants, as it does in humans. Muscle forces therefore must increase as the limbs become more flexed, and we show how this flexion translates to greater volumes of muscle recruited for locomotion and hence metabolic cost. Surprisingly, elephants use their forelimbs and hindlimbs in similar braking and propulsive roles, not dividing these functions among limbs as was previously assumed or as in other quadrupeds. Thus, their limb function is analogous to four-wheel-drive vehicles. To achieve the observed limb compliance and low peak forces, elephants synchronize their limb dynamics in the vertical direction, but incur considerable mechanical costs from limbs working against each other horizontally.
Determinants of pre-lacteal feeding practices in urban and rural Nigeria; a population-based cross-sectional study using the 2013 Nigeria demographic and health survey data

Background Prelacteal feeding (PLF) is a barrier to exclusive breast feeding. Objective To determine factors associated with PLF in rural and urban Nigeria. Methods We utilized data from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to test for association between PLF and related factors. Results Prevalence of PLF in urban Nigeria was 49.8%, while in rural Nigeria it was 66.4%. Sugar or glucose water was given more in urban Nigeria (9.7% vs 2.9%), plain water was given more in rural Nigeria (59.9% vs 40.8%). The multivariate analysis revealed that urban and rural Nigeria shared similarities with respect to factors like mother's education, place of delivery, and size of child at birth being significant predictors of PLF. Mode of delivery and type of birth were significant predictors of PLF only in urban Nigeria, whereas, mother's age at birth was a significant predictor of PLF only in rural Nigeria. Zones also showed variations in the odds of PLF according to place of residence. Conclusion Interventions aimed at decreasing PLF rate should be through a tailored approach, and should target at risk sub-groups based on place of residence.
RMA/S cells present endogenously synthesized cytosolic proteins to class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes

RMA/S is a mutant cell line with decreased cell surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules that has been reported to be deficient in presenting endogenously synthesized influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). In the present study we show that RMA/S cells can present vesicular stomatitis virus nucleocapsid protein, and, under some conditions, NP, to Kb-and Db-restricted CTL, respectively. Antigen presentation results from processing of cytosolic pools of endogenously synthesized proteins, and not the binding to cell surface class I molecules of antigenic peptides present in the virus inoculum or released from infected cells. Antigen processing of RMA/S differs, however, from processing by wild-type cells in requiring greater amounts of antigen, longer times to assemble or transport class I-peptide complexes, and in being more sensitive to blocking by anti-CD8 antibody. Thus, the antigen processing deficit in RMA/S cells is of a partial rather than absolute nature.
Cholesterol supplementation attenuates the hypocholesterolemic effect of rice bran oil in rats.

Rice bran oil (RBO), when blended with safflower oil (SFO) at the ratio of 7 to 3, has been shown to lower serum cholesterol in humans consuming cholesterol. The mechanism as to how this oil blend exerts its effect is not yet clear. This study examined the effect of cholesterol supplementation on the cholesterol-lowering ability of different RBO/SFO blends. Male Sprague Dawley rats (4 wk old) were fed purified diets containing 10% fat with or without the addition of 0.5% cholesterol for 3 wk. The fat was either SFO or RBO alone, or the mixture of these two oils at the ratio of 7: 3 (7S/3R), 5:5 (5S/5R), or 3:7 (3S/7R). Without cholesterol supplementation, there were no significant differences in the serum and liver total cholesterol levels among different dietary fats. However, the HDL cholesterol level of rats fed the RBO-containing diets (especially in rats fed the 3S/7R diet) was higher than that of rats fed the diet containing SFO alone. This resulted in an increase in the ratio of HDL/total cholesterol-a desirable outcome. Supplementation of the diets with 0.5% cholesterol significantly increased the cholesterol level in both the serum and the liver. Increasing the proportion of RBO in the diet further raised the total cholesterol level in the serum whereas it reduced liver cholesterol. Then, the specific effect of the 3S/7R mixture on the ratio of HDL/total cholesterol disappeared. These findings suggest that cholesterol supplemented at the level of 0.5% in this study masked the cholesterol-lowering effect of RBO. Smaller percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acid (i.e., 18:2n-6) in the RBO-containing diets than in the SFO diet might have reduced their ability to dispose the circulating serum cholesterol into the liver.
The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER-1) contributes to the proliferation and survival of mantle cell lymphoma cells

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive subtype of B-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis. In recent years, critical subsets of genes and signaling pathways that are of prognostic relevance have been identified. [1][1],[2][2] Given that the alternative estrogen receptor, the G protein-coupled
Formation of complexes between polyvinyl pyrrolidones or polyethylene glycols and tannins, and their implication in gas production and true digestibility in in vitro techniques

Various tannin-complexing agentsw have been used to study the potential adverse effects of tannis on rumen metabolism. Using a method based on turbidity formation, the binding of various tannin-complexing agents (polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP), polyethylene glycol (PEG) of molecular weights 2000 to 35000, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) of molecular weight 10000, 40000 and 360000) to tannins (tannic acid, purified tannins from quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho) and leaves of trees and shrubs (Acioa barteri, Dichostachys cinerea, Guiera senegalensis, Piliostigma reticulatum)) was investigated at different pH values. The binding of all the tannins with PVPP was highest at pH 3–4 and lowest at pH 7. For all the pH range (3–7) studied, the binding of PEG was higher than that of PVP. For all the tannins except tannic acid, the binding to PVP was the same from pH 4·7 to 7. Similar results were observed for the PEG of molecular weight 6000 or higher for all the tannins except quebracho tannins for which the binding increased as the pH increased from 3 to 7. The binding with PEG 2000 decreased to a greater extent as the pH reached near neutral and for PEG 4000 this decrease was slightly lower. Addition of these tannin-complexing agents to the in vitro gas system resulted in higher gas production from tannin-rich feeds (increase varied from 0 to 135%). The PEG were the most effective followed by PVP and PVPP. The PEG 35000 was least effective. The efficiency of other PEG was similar. The PEG 6000 was preferred to PEG 2000 or 4000 as its binding to tannins was higher at near neutral pH values. The gas production increased with an increase in the amount of PEG 6000 up to 0·6 g/40 ml rumen-fluid-containing medium containing 0·5 g tannin-rich feed, beyond which no increase was observed. The percentage increase in gas value at 24 h fermentation correlated significantly with tannin values, the highest correlation (r 0·95) being with protein precipitation capacity of tannins. The increase in gas production was associated with higher production of short-chain fatty acids with little change in their molar proportions, suggesting an increase in organic matter digestibility by inclusion of the PEG in tannin-rich feeds. However, apparent and true digestibilities were lower on addition of the PEG, due to the presence of PEG-tannin complexes in the residues. The use of this bioassay (percentage increase in gas production in the presence of PEG 6000) along with other tannin assays would provide a better insight into the nutritional significance of tannins.