Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sophocarpine displays anti-in fl ammatory effect via inhibiting TLR 4 and TLR 4 downstream pathways on LPS-induced mastitis in the mammary gland of mice

Article history: Received 9 September 2015 Received in revised form 10 March 2016 Accepted 21 March 2016 Available online 16 April 2016 Mastitis is defined as the inflammation of the mammary gland. LPS, which is widely used to induce mastitis models for the study of this disease, triggers similar inflammation as Escherichia coli. Sophocarpine, isolated from Sophora alopecuroides L. , exhibits multiple biological properties. The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of action of sophocarpine on mastitis within an LPS-induced mouse model. ELISA and western blotting were performed to detect protein levels. The qPCR was performed to detectmRNA levels. The ELISA and qRT-PCR results showed that sophocarpine inhibited the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. However, sophocarpine suppressed TLR4 expression. Further study showed that sophocarpine could suppress the phosphorylation of IκBα, p65 and p38. These results confirm that sophocarpine played an anti-inflammatory role in LPS-induced mastitis by regulating TLR4 and the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in mammary gland tissues. Therefore, sophocarpine may be a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of mastitis. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. CT E
Controversies in the Management of Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy

Importance In the last 3 years, we have witnessed the publication of multiple but conflicting guidelines on the management of hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrinopathies in reproductive-age and pregnant women. Given the prevalence of thyroid disease, it is highly likely that obstetricians will encounter and provide care for pregnant women with thyroid disease. Therefore, a review of current guidelines and management options is clinically relevant. Objectives Our goals are to review the changes in thyroid function during pregnancy, the options for testing for thyroid disease, the different categories of thyroid dysfunction and surveillance strategies among subspecialty societies, and the obstetric hazards associated with thyroid dysfunction and review the evidence for benefit of treatment options for thyroid disease. Evidence Acquisition We reviewed key subspecialty guidelines, as well as current and ongoing studies focused on the treatment of hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Results There are significant differences in the identification and management of thyroid disease during pregnancy among subspecialists. We present our recommendations based on the available evidence. Relevance Evidence exists that obstetricians struggle with the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. According to recent surveys, the management of hypothyroidism during pregnancy is the number 1 endocrine topic of interest for obstetricians. A synopsis of recently published subspecialty guidelines is timely. Conclusions Recent, evidence-based findings indicate that obstetricians should consider modifying their approach to the identification and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy. Target Audience Obstetricians and gynecologists, family physicians Learning Objectives After completing this CME activity, physicians should be better able to identify the changes in thyroid function testing during pregnancy; choose the appropriate methods of testing thyroid function during the first, second, and third trimesters; and compare treatment options of the various forms of thyroid dysfunction and the evidence behind treatment recommendations.
Genetic Deficiency of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Reduces Atherosclerosis and Lowers Plasma Lipid Peroxides in Apolipoprotein E–Knockout Mice

Background—Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is expressed by leukocytes and smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesions. To test whether NO produced by iNOS deficiency affects atherosclerosis, we studied apoE/iNOS–double knockout (dKO) and apoE-knockout (KO) control animals fed a “Western-type” diet. Methods and Results—After 16 weeks of Western-type diet, the aortic lesion area in apoE/iNOS-dKO males and females was significantly reduced, by 22% and 21%, respectively, compared with apoE-KO males and females. This effect was more pronounced after 24 weeks of Western-type diet, after which lesion formation in male and female dKO mice was reduced by 38% and 40%, respectively. Plasma levels of lipoperoxides in apoE/iNOS-dKO mice (2.0±0.23 &mgr;mol/L) were significantly lower than in apoE-KO control animals (3.2±0.44 &mgr;mol/L;P =0.02). To test whether substrate deficiency plays a role in the proatherogenic actions of iNOS, we administered l-arginine to apoE-KO animals for 16 and 24 weeks. l-Arginine treatment did not affect lesion formation in apoE-KO animals fed a Western-type diet. Conclusions—Genetic deficiency of iNOS decreases diet-induced atherosclerosis and lowers plasma levels of lipoperoxides, a marker for oxidative stress, in apoE-KO animals. Reduction in iNOS-mediated oxidative stress could partly explain protection from lesion formation in dKO animals. l-Arginine supplementation did not change lesion area in apoE-KO mice, indicating that substrate deficiency is not a likely cause for iNOS-mediated injury in this model of atherosclerosis.
Sertraline to treat hot flashes: a randomized controlled, double-blind, crossover trial in a general population

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) (sertraline) in decreasing hot flashes in a general population of women. Design: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted in a southwestern urban setting. A total of 102 women aged 40 to 65 who were experiencing hot flashes and not taking any hormone therapy were recruited. After 1 week of baseline hot flash data collection, study participants were randomized to receive placebo or active drug (sertraline 50 mg) for 4 weeks. This intervention was followed by a 1-week washout and cross over to the opposite treatment for 4 weeks. The number and severity of hot flashes were measured. Results: One hundred two women were enrolled in the study. Five dropped out before providing baseline data. Of the 97 remaining, 52 were randomized to active drug first and 45 to placebo first. Ten dropped out of the study before completing all 10 weeks, leaving 46 in the active drug-first arm and 41 in the placebo-first arm. At baseline, the mean number of hot flashes reported was 45.6 per week (SD = 29.6), ranging from 2 to 148. During the sertraline phase of the study, women experienced five fewer hot flashes per week than they did on the placebo (P = 0.002). The severity of hot flashes was not significantly different; however, the hot flash score (number × average severity) was significantly improved during the sertraline phase. Conclusion: Sertraline reduced the number of hot flashes and improved the hot flash score relative to placebo and may be an acceptable alternative treatment for women experiencing hot flashes.
Parental recall, attachment relating and self-attacking/self-reassurance: their relationship with depression.

OBJECTIVES When things go wrong for people they can become self-critical or focus on positive, reassuring aspects of the self. This study explored the relationship between forms of self-criticism and self-reassurance, recall of parental experiences and attachment style in relation to depressed symptoms in students. METHODS A sample of 197 undergraduate students from the UK and Canada completed self-report questionnaires measuring recall of parental styles, attachment, forms of self-criticism, self-reassurance, and depression symptoms. RESULTS Recall of parents as rejecting and overprotecting was significantly related to both inadequacy and self-hating self-criticism. In contrast, parental warmth was negatively correlated with these forms of self-criticism. In addition, when things go wrong for the person, recall of parental warmth was associated with the ability to be self-reassuring. A mediator analysis suggested that (I) the impact of recall of negative parenting on depression is mediated through the forms of self-criticism and (2) the effect of parental warmth on depression was mediated by the ability to be self-reassuring. CONCLUSIONS The impacts of negative parenting styles may translate into vulnerabilities to depression via the way children (and later adults) develop their self-to-self relating (e.g. as self-critical versus self-reassuring). Hence, there is a need for further research on the link between attachment experiences, recall of parental rejection/warmth and their relationship to internal, self-evaluative and affect systems in creating vulnerabilities to psychopathology.
Forced Ethnic Migration

Movements of peoples due to nationality and ethnicity occurred on an unprecedented scale over the course of the 20th century during the formation of nations and the ethnic definition of nation states in the territories of the former multiethnic empires of Europe, specifically, in Central, South-eastern and Eastern Europe. Forced relocation, flight and expulsion are outlined using the example of four complexes defined in space and time. The numerically most extensive population shifts were initiated by National Socialist expansion policies and triggered a spiral of force and violence to which eventually large parts of the German population also fell victim. The motives and practices of forced migrations only differ in degree and detail. The question of who initiated the spiral of violence and, consequently, created an extremely polarized order that neither perpetrators nor victims could (or would) withdraw from is historically significant.
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE ECONOMICHE ED AZIENDALI “M.FANNO” CORSO DI LAUREA MAGISTRALE IN ECONOMICS AND FINANCE TESI DI LAUREA THE REAL EFFECTS OF UNCERTAINTY SHOCKS ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: THEORY AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. RELATORE: CH.MO PROF. GIOVANNI CAGGIANO LAUREANDO: PIERGUIDO BORTOLI

This work analyses the effects of uncertainty shocks (policy and financial uncertainty) originated in Usa and Euroarea on output, equity and foreign exchange markets from a global perspective, by considering a pool of 34 countries (about 85% of world GDP) and existing interlinkages among them. In doing so, a Global-Vector of AutoRegressive (GVAR) model is estimated using monthly data for the period January 1999 – December 2013. Once estimated the specified GVAR, the effect of uncertainty shocks originated in Us and in the Euro area are analysed. Estimated results show significant differences both in size and airtime of uncertainty shocks. Effects of Us-uncertainty are usually doubly larger if compared with the same shocks originated in Europe. In particular, Usa and Euro area output reduce by 0.6% and 1.2% respectively in case of an uncertainty shock in Usa; whereas they decrease by 0.2% and 0.6% respectively in case of uncertainty shocks within the Euro area. Similar effects on equity indexes of Usa and Euro area: they decrease by 3% and 7% respectively in case of shock in Us, by 1% and 4% in case of European uncertainty shocks. In spite of some degree of heterogeneity across individual-model responses, similar spillover effects are also confirmed at global level. Thus, empirical results are in line with theoretical predictions concerning of uncertainty shocks. The size of the spillover effects due to uncertainty shocks seem to be positively correlated with trade openness. It confirm the idea that a relatively high intensity in trade relations reflects in a relatively high degree of vulnerability to external shocks. This vulnerability to foreign uncertainty is also confirmed by responses in the foreign exchange markets, where currencies of developing and emerging markets (i.e. those of Central and Latin America, South-East Asia, Central Europe) devaluate around 1.5% while currencies of advanced economies (Usa, Euro area, Japan) appreciate.
Symmetry and asymmetry in the Hebrew copula construction

The copula construction in Hebrew has received much attention in the linguistic literature. Nevertheless, one non-canonical variant has been largely neglected. In this variant the copula, flanked by two NPs, exhibits agreement with the post-copular NP, contrary to the canonical variant, where the agreement controller is the initial NP. This phenomenon challenges the notion of subject and its relation to agreement. The current corpus-based study investigates the word order and agreement patterns exhibited by the Hebrew copular constructions and shows that their distribution is largely motivated by information structure considerations. The proposed analysis accounts for the syntactic symmetry and semantic asymmetry between the two NPs.
Current liver biopsy practices for suspected parenchymal liver diseases in the United States: the evolving role of radiologists

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to determine current liver biopsy practices in the United States.METHODS:We mailed a questionnaire to 260 randomly selected members of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Statistical analysis was conducted using the χ2 test.RESULTS:A total of 128 members (49%) responded, with 106 responses suitable for inclusion. Of the respondents, 25% had a radiologist perform >50% of their patients’ liver biopsies, whereas 38% personally performed all their patients’ biopsies. During training, 87% of respondents were taught to perform liver biopsy using the “blind” technique, 2% with ultrasound (US) guidance, and 11% both. A total of 76% used US guidance during liver biopsy. More private practitioners than those practicing in academic centers used the “blind” technique (35% vs 18%; p = 0.02) and referred >50% of their patients for liver biopsy to Radiology (36% vs 17%; p = 0.01); desire for real-time US guidance was the main reason in 43% of cases. Of the respondents, 75% used US for safety reasons; 77% of those who did not use US believed that it was unnecessary. Overall, 87% of respondents indicated that patient safety was the most important issue during liver biopsy; only 2% thought that personal convenience and cost-effectiveness were most important.CONCLUSIONS:Respondents’ chief concern was patient safety, and most used US for this reason. Private practitioners were less likely than those practicing in academic centers to use US guidance and were more likely to refer patients to Radiology.
NELL 2 Function in the Protection of Cells against Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Continuous intraand extracellular stresses induce disorder of Ca homeostasis and accumulation of unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which results in ER stress. Severe long-term ER stress triggers apoptosis signaling pathways, resulting in cell death. Neural epidermal growth factor-like like protein 2 (NELL2) has been reported to be important in protection of cells from cell death-inducing environments. In this study, we investigated the cytoprotective effect of NELL2 in the context of ER stress induced by thapsigargin, a strong ER stress inducer, in Cos7 cells. Overexpression of NELL2 prevented ER stress-mediated apoptosis by decreasing expression of ER stress-induced C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and increasing ER chaperones. In this context, expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL was increased by NELL2, whereas NELL2 decreased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as cleaved caspases 3 and 7. This antiapoptotic effect of NELL2 is likely mediated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling, because its inhibitor, U0126, inhibited effects of NELL2 on the expression of antiand pro-apoptotic proteins and on the protection from ER stress-induced cell death.
Accelerated aging periods and its effects on electric conductivity of popcorn seeds

The production of popcorn has an increasing demand and requires the use of vigorous seeds. The accelerated aging test is used to evaluate seed’s vigor, promoting the disruption of the membrane system. The disruption of membranes can be evaluated by the electrical conductivity test. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects caused by different periods of accelerated aging and the ions in the exudate of the electrical conductivity test and its interactions with the physiological quality of popcorn seeds. The experimental design was completely randomized with seeds being submitted to eight accelerated aging periods (zero, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 hours). Water content (%), first count of germination (%), final germination (%), germination speed index, electrical conductivity (μS cm-1 g-1) and length of aerial portion and primary roots of seedlings were evaluated. The germination and vigor of popcorn seeds and the amount of leachate in the electrical conductivity test were influenced by the increasing exposure period to accelerated aging. The period of 72 hours of exposure to accelerated aging produces results that reflect on the vigor potential and leachate of the seeds.
Chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on aggregate data.

PURPOSE This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODS Randomized phase II and III clinical trials on first-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer were identified by electronic searches of Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and Cancerlit; hand searches of relevant abstract books and reference lists; and contact to experts. Meta-analysis was performed using the fixed-effect model. Overall survival, reported as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI, was the primary outcome measure. RESULTS Analysis of chemotherapy versus best supportive care (HR = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.52) and combination versus single agent, mainly fluorouracil (FU) -based chemotherapy (HR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.74 to 0.93) showed significant overall survival benefits in favor of chemotherapy and combination chemotherapy, respectively. In addition, comparisons of FU/cisplatin-containing regimens with versus without anthracyclines (HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.95) and FU/anthracycline-containing combinations with versus without cisplatin (HR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.91) both demonstrated a significant survival benefit for the three-drug combination. Comparing irinotecan-containing versus nonirinotecan-containing combinations (mainly FU/cisplatin) resulted in a nonsignificant survival benefit in favor of the irinotecan-containing regimens (HR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.06), but they have never been compared against a three-drug combination. CONCLUSION Best survival results are achieved with three-drug regimens containing FU, an anthracycline, and cisplatin. Among these, regimens including FU as bolus exhibit a higher rate of toxic deaths than regimens using a continuous infusion of FU, such as epirubicin, cisplatin, and continuous-infusion FU.
Association of CTNNB 1 (-Catenin ) Alterations , Body Mass Index , and Physical Activity With Survival in Patients With Colorectal Cancer

ACTIVATION OF THE WNT SIGnaling pathway and its major mediator cadherin-associated protein 1 (CTNNB1; the HUGO-approved official symbol for catenin), most commonly by loss of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), plays a critical role in colorectal carcinogenesis. The WNT signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target. Inactivation of kinases in the APC complex leads toaccumulationof cytoplasmicCTNNB1 and its translocation to the nucleus, in which it acts as a coactivator with the transcription factor (TCF) family (FIGURE 1). Proliferative genes regulated by WNT-CTNNB1 signaling such as the oncogene MYC and cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 (CCND1) contribute to tumor progression. Accumulating evidence indicates a role of WNT-CTNNB1 signaling in adipogenesis, obesity, and metabolic diseases. Signaling of WNT has been shown to be activated by PRKA ([adenosine monophosphate] AMP-activated protein kinase), which is a key regulator of energy metabolism. Considering the dual roles of CTNNB1 in carcinogenesis and energy metabolism, we hypothesized that activation of WNT-CTNNB1 signaling (ie, accumulation of nuclear CTNNB1) might Author Affiliations are listed at the end of this article. Corresponding Author: Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, MS, Center for Molecular Oncologic Pathology, DanaFarber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Ave, Room JF-215C, Boston, MA 02215 (shuji_ogino@dfci .harvard.edu). Context Alterations of the WNT signaling pathway and cadherin-associated protein 1 (CTNNB1 or -catenin) have been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis and metabolic diseases.
From active joining to child-led participation: A new approach to examine participation in teaching practice

Background: The new core curriculum for basic education in Finland emphasises the interrelation between learners’ participation and multidisciplinary learning. Each learner must be provided with an opportunity to join at least one multidisciplinary learning module each year. Hence, student teachers also implement a multidisciplinary learning module as part of their teaching practice at the University of Helsinki. Aim: In this article, I describe how two multidisciplinary learning modules were implemented by four third-year student teachers in a teacher training school and how they were educated to analyse the different forms of participation in their teaching. Setting: The research question of this article is as follows: How do different teaching practices used in multidisciplinary learning modules support learners’ participation? Methods: The data of this study consist of two documentation forms: two semi-structured group interviews and a field note diary. Results: The results showed that most of the practices used in multidisciplinary learning modules supported an active joining form of participation and a collaborative form of participation. In the multidisciplinary learning modules, a child-oriented form of participation was supported through practices that related to creating artistic learning outcomes; however, no practices supported a child-led form of participation . Conclusion: In this study, the student teachers learned to analyse the different forms of participation in their teaching. Nevertheless, more data about the workability of the mentoring method in other contexts are needed.