Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wound Therapy by Marrow Mesenchymal Cell Transplantation

Background: Marrow mesenchymal cells are useful in regenerative medicine because they contain stem cells, but there have been few reports of clinical applications. The authors developed a new wound treatment technique by improving marrow mesenchymal cell culture methods and placing cultured cells in an artificial skin material. This new treatment was useful for tissue regeneration in 20 patients with skin wounds. Methods: Marrow mesenchymal cells from a 46-year-old man were cultured and placed in artificial dermis made of collagen sponge. This composite graft was implanted subcutaneously into the back of a nude mouse and removed 10 days later; immunohistological analysis confirmed regeneration of subcutaneous tissue using human marrow mesenchymal cells. Next, in 20 patients (nine men and 11 women; average age, 64.8 years; range, 22 to 91 years) with intractable dermatopathies, 10 to 20 ml of bone marrow fluid was aspirated from the ilium and cultured in medium containing either fetal calf or autologous serum. The resulting cultured cells were placed in artificial dermis made of collagen sponge, and this composite graft was used to treat skin wounds. Results: The wound mostly healed in 18 of the 20 patients; the remaining two patients died of causes unrelated to transplantation. In all patients, autologous marrow mesenchymal cell transplantation was shown to be therapeutically effective. Conclusions: In skin regeneration therapy using a marrow mesenchymal cell/artificial dermis composite graft, skin regeneration is possible with bone marrow aspiration, a minimally invasive procedure. Compared with existing skin grafting techniques, the present technique is practical and much less invasive.
Consensus development of a histopathological classification system for chronic prostatic inflammation

Objective To develop a standardized histopathological classification system for chronic prostatitis (standardized description of prostatic inflammatory infiltrates) based on a literature review, extensive prospective evaluations in two recognized prostatitis research centres and widespread consensus of international urological centres identified as having major expertise or interest in chronic prostatitis.
Who Says We Are Bad People? The Impact of Criticism Source and Attributional Content on Responses to Group-Based Criticism

We investigated the interplay between the source of criticism and the attributional content of their message on behavioral responses to group-based criticism. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that outgroup critics were more effective when their criticism included internal attributions (to the ingroup’s character) rather than external attributions (the ingroup’s circumstances), whereas there was no effect of attributional content for ingroup critics (a significant Source × Content interaction). Study 3 explored the role of audiences in responses to outgroup criticism. The results indicated that the positive effects of internal versus external attributions were only evident when an outgroup audience was witness to participants’ responses. Furthermore, these effects were mediated through concerns about the ingroup’s image. Together, these patterns suggest that responses to criticism depend not just on the identity of the critic but also on what the critic says and who is watching. People may be surprisingly responsive to outgroup criticism—particularly when inaction might lead others to perceive them as “bad people. ”
Erectile Dysfunction Among Patients on Methadone Maintenance Therapy and Its Association With Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVES Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a problem commonly encountered by patients on methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ED among this group of patients along with its risk factors and association with quality of life (QOL). METHODS Male patients on MMT in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia were included in the study. A total of 134 patients with sexual partners were assessed for ED using the International Index of Erectile Function. Patients were assessed for substance use using Opiate Treatment Index (OTI) and depression using the Malay version of the self-rated Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-BM). QOL was evaluated using World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF. RESULTS The prevalence of ED among patients on MMT was 67%, with 26.1% having mild ED, 30.4% having mild-to-moderate ED, 7.0% having moderate ED, and 17.2% having severe ED. Patients with depression were 4 times more likely to have ED compared with patients without depression, whereas increasing age significantly correlated with the severity of ED. Having ED predicted a poorer QOL in the social relationships domain. CONCLUSION Depression is highly associated with ED, which negatively influences the social aspect of QOL among patients on methadone maintenance therapy.
Is fasting required before cataract surgery? A retrospective review.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the possibility that fasting is not required before cataract surgery. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. PARTICIPANTS All patients who had cataract surgery alone (not combined with corneal or glaucoma surgery) at Mount St. Joseph Hospital between April 1, 2007, and March 31, 2008. METHODS Three methods were used to determine whether any cases of aspiration pneumonia after cataract surgery had occurred: recall by the supervising anaesthetist, a search of hospital medical records for admissions with a diagnosis of pneumonia, and recall by the operating surgeons. RESULTS In 5125 cases of cataract surgery, no case of aspiration pneumonia was found. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that it is safe to perform cataract surgery under topical or infiltration anaesthesia with intravenous sedation without fasting prior to surgery.
Surgical area contamination--comparable bacterial counts using disposable head and mask and helmet aspirator system, but dramatic increase upon omission of head-gear: an experimental study in horizontal laminar air-flow.

The effect of different head coverings on air-borne transmission of bacteria and particles in the surgical area was studied during 30 strictly standardized sham operations performed in a horizontal laminar air flow (LAF) unit. The operating team members wore disposable gowns plus either a non-sterile head covering consisting of a squire type disposable hood and triple laminar face mask, a sterilized helmet aspirator system or no head cover at all. In the wound area both types of head cover resulted in low and comparable air (means of 8 and 4cfu/m(3)) and surface contamination (means of 69 and 126cfu/m(2)/h) rates. Omission of head-gear resulted in a three- to five-fold increase (P > or = 0.01- 0.001), depending on site sampled air contamination rate (mean of 22cfu/m(3)) whereas the bacterial sedimentation rate in the wound area increased about 60-fold ( P > or = 0.0001). A proper head cover minimized the emission of apparently heavy particles that were not removed by the horizontal LAF and contained mainly streptococci, presumably of respiratory tract origin. Dust particle counts revealed no differences between the three experimental situations. No correlation between air and surface contamination rates or between air contamination and air particle counts was found. We conclude that, from a bacteriological point of view, disposable hoods of squire type and face masks are equally as efficient as a helmet aspirator system and both will efficiently contain the substantial emission of bacteria-carrying droplets from the respiratory tract occurring when head cover is omitted. Finally, the use of bacterial air counts to assess surgical site surface contamination in horizontal LAF units must be seriously questioned.
Optimization of green electrical discharge machining using an integrated approach

This paper presents an integrated approach of Entropy-Technique for Order Preference by Simulation of Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method for the determination of the optimal process parameters in green electrical discharge machining. In this work, initially, an experiment is performed using Taguchi experimental technique. Thereafter, Entropy-TOPSIS is used to convert multi-response parameters into single response parameter. Finally, the ranking of the parameter decides the best experimental set up and optimized the input process parameters. In this research, the weight of the quality characteristics of each of the output parameters are determined by the entropy method which influences the closeness coefficient values for finding the optimal experimental set up using TOPSIS method. On the basis of optimization results it has been found that peak current (4.5 A), pulse duration (261 μs), dielectric level (80 mm) and flushing pressure (0.3 kg/cm2), which are the best combinations of this analysis.
Dynamics of the Location of Financial Institutions

Cities are a significant source of economic growth and prosperity, but they may also contribute to social and economic problems, including unemployment, poverty, and inaccessible financial institutions. The authors have gathered a unique panel data set for Toronto that locates financial institutions by census tract and links this information to census public use microdata from 1981 to 2006 to show that mainstream financial institutions have migrated to the suburbs and that, simultaneously, so-called fringe financial institutions, especially payday lenders, have expanded their operations in the inner city. The authors then use panel regression models and, among other results, find that census tracts with low income are less attractive to mainstream institutions over time and more attractive to fringe institutions, which provide more limited and expensive services. The results imply that the dynamics of the location of financial institutions may present an additional barrier to upward economic mobility for inner-city residents.
Elevated Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies, cardiovascular events, and azithromycin in male survivors of myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND The clinical significance of the association between elevated anti-Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) antibody titres and coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear. We explored the relationship between antibodies against Cp and future cardiovascular events in male survivors of myocardial infarction (MI). The effect of azithromycin antibiotic therapy was assessed in a subgroup of post-MI patients. METHODS AND RESULTS We screened 220 consecutive male survivors of MI for anti-Cp antibodies. Of these, 213 patients were stratified into three groups: group Cp-ve (n=59), no detectable Cp antibodies; group Cp-I (n=74), intermediate titres of 1/8 to 1/32 dilution; and group Cp+ve (n=80), seropositive at > or = 1/64 dilution. Patients with persisting seropositivity of > or = 1/64 were randomized to either oral azithromycin (Cp+ve-A, 500 mg/d for 3 days [n=28] or 500 mg/d for 6 days [n=12]) or placebo (Cp+ve-P, n=20). Cp+ve-NR (n=20) represented patients not recruited into the antibiotic trial. The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events (over a mean follow-up period of 18+/-4 months) was recorded and shown to increase with increasing anti-Cp titre: Cp-ve, n=4 (7%); Cp-I, n=11 (15%); Cp+ve-NR, n=6 (30%); and Cp+ve-P, n=5 (25%). Cp+ve-NR and Cp+ve-P groups had a fourfold-increased risk for adverse cardiovascular events compared with the Cp-ve group (odds ratio [OR], 4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 15.5; P=.03). In contrast, the OR for cardiovascular events in patients receiving azithromycin (Cp+ve-A, single or double course) was the same as in the Cp-ve group (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.2 to 4.6, P=NS). Patients receiving azithromycin were more likely to experience a decrease in IgG anti-Cp titres than were those in the placebo group (P=.02). CONCLUSIONS An increased anti-Cp antibody titre may be a predictor for further adverse cardiovascular events in post-MI patients. Taking a short course of azithromycin may lower this risk, possibly by acting against Cp.
Retention of survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a longitudinal study of bone mineral density

Attrition in longitudinal studies of survivors of childhood cancer reduces these studies’ statistical power, introduces bias and threatens internal and external validity. This study investigated the variables associated with dropout of survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a trial investigating the effect of vitamin D and calcium supplementation and nutritional counseling on bone mineral density (BMD). Twenty-five participants withdrew from the study. Common reasons given for withdrawing were intolerance of the study drug, family hardship and schedule conflicts. Few statistically and clinically significant differences identified participants who completed the study. Nurses need to be aware of the reasons that participants withdraw from clinical trials, as they are in a strategic position to encourage patients to participate in health promotion studies.
Measurement of advertising effectiveness using alternative measures of advertising exposure

The objective of this study is to examine the impacts of alternative measures of advertising exposure on the evaluation of advertising effectiveness. This study used quarterly data of post-buy actual GRPs and corresponding advertising expenditures for the New York City fluid milk market. First, the correlation was tested between GRP and expenditure series. Then, advertising effectiveness was evaluated using these two series. Correlation tests suggested no correlation between GRP and expenditure variables was highly unlikely. The econometric analysis, however, found that the two alternatives produced quite different advertising elasticities and rates of return. The results indicate that the choice of advertising exposure measure may provide researchers with different evaluation results. lEcon-Lit citations: Q130, M300, M370r © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pain‐ameliorating effects of minocycline: An emerging treatment modality

LETTER TO EDITOR The recent article by Wang et al. (2012) in the Journal provided for highly interesting reading. Recent data suggest that minocycline has significant antinociceptive effects besides playing a prominent role in cancerinduced bone pain. For instance, microglial activation is inhibited following administration of minocycline, thereby mitigating the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy (Pabreja et al., 2011). Simultaneously, minocycline accentuates analgesia in diabetic neuropathy by having an attenuating effect on cytokine levels, such as interleukin-6 levels. Minocycline also modulates the spinal levels of endocannabinoids, thus mitigating neuropathic pain. For instance, it accentuates the spinal cord levels of N-palmitoylethanolamine and at the same time attenuates the spinal cord levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol, thereby decreasing neuropathic pain (Guasti et al., 2009). Interestingly, minocycline accentuates the antinociceptive effects of morphine when the two are coadministered (Mika et al., 2007). Similarly, minocycline decreases mechanical hyperalgesia in animal models with spinal cord trauma by exerting an inhibitory effect on the activation of astrocytes (Cho et al., 2011). A simultaneous inhibition of activation of microglia in the spinal cord is also seen, further contributing to minocycline’s antinociceptive effects. Mika et al. (2010) in another recent study have demonstrated that trauma-induced expression of pronociceptin in the dorsal root ganglia is attenuated by minocycline, contributing further to its analgesic effects. Part of these antinociceptive effects also are due to minocycline-induced inhibition of prodynorphin expression in the dorsal root ganglia. However, the effects of minocycline can be seen only if it is administered within a certain ‘‘therapeutic window’’ (Mei et al., 2011). Interestingly, topical minocycline decreases pain after local administration following dental surgery (Gelesko et al., 2011). These examples clearly illustrate the significant antinociceptive effects of minocycline and the need for further studies in humans to elaborate its analgesic properties fully.
Assessment of nutritional habits and preferences of children and adolescents brought up in Krakow's orphanages.

BACKGROUND Proper nutrition can not only guarantee harmonious child's development, but can also protect against later development of diet-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, obesity or cardiovascular diseases. Many diseases as well as disorders of intellectual development of a young people may result from the mistakes made in a period of an intense growth and maturing of a child. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess nutritional habits and preferences in subjects brought up in orphanages in terms of subjective evaluation of eating patterns, frequency of the meal consumption, and a concern about healthy life style. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study has been conducted to evaluate nutritional habits and preferences of 181 children aged 9-20, from orphanages in Krakow. Study was performed in 2007-2008 in 5 orphanages, which were under the control of Social Welfare Centre. Evaluation of nutritional habits and preferences was performed on the basis of an anonymous 8-question questionnaire adjusted to the respondent's age, which referred, among other, to questions about subjective assessment of eating patterns, frequency of meal consumption and the concern about healthy lifestyle patterns. RESULTS About 75% of the examined population responded affirmatively to a question about subjective assessment of proper eating patterns; 80% female and 88% male respondents declared a regular consumption of meals. Daily diets of children in orphanages consisted usually from 5 or 4 meals (respectively 38 and 33% of affirmative responses); although, 5 meals were most often eaten by the youngest children. Furthermore, it has been revealed that milk and dairy products were consumed, on average, by 66% of respondents. On average, 76% of respondents reported everyday consumption of the lean meat, while 72% ate fish at least once per week. CONCLUSIONS Results obtained in this study, identify the improper nutritional habits and indicate the necessity of intervention, consisting on training courses and workshops for children, adolescents and their teachers.
Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region of ciscoes (genus Coregonus): taxonomic implications for the Great Lakes species flock

Sequence variation in the control region (D‐loop) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was examined to assess the genetic distinctiveness of the shortjaw cisco (Coregonus zenithicus). Individuals from within the Great Lakes Basin as well as inland lakes outside the basin were sampled. DNA fragments containing the entire D‐loop were amplified by PCR from specimens of C. zenithicus and the related species C. artedi, C. hoyi, C. kiyi, and C. clupeaformis. DNA sequence analysis revealed high similarity within and among species and shared polymorphism for length variants. Based on this analysis, the shortjaw cisco is not genetically distinct from other cisco species.
Branding in the age of social media

Social media was supposed to usher in a golden age of branding. But things didn’t turn out that way. Marketers originally thought that Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter would let them bypass mainstream media and connect directly with customers. Hoping to attract huge audiences to their brands, they spent billions producing their own creative content. But consumers never showed up. In fact, social media seems to have made brands less significant. What happened? The issue is, social media has transformed how culture works, in a way that weakens certain branding techniques. It has united once-isolated communities into influential crowdcultures. Crowdcultures are very prolific cultural innovators. Their members produce their own content—so well that companies simply can’t compete. Consider that people making videos in their living rooms top the charts on YouTube, which few companies have managed to crack. While they diminish the impact of branded content, crowdcultures grease the wheels for an alternative approach, cultural branding. In it, a brand sets itself apart by promoting a new ideology that springs from the crowd. Chipotle did this successfully when it made two short films critiquing industrial food, tapping into a movement that began in the organic-farming subculture and blew up into a mainstream concern on social media. Other good examples come from personal care. Axe revived its brand by becoming an over-the-top cheerleader for the “lad” crowd that arose as a response to politically correct gender politics. Dove championed the other side of the divide, with campaigns that spoke to crowdculture concerns about unhealthy beauty standards for women. Brands succeed when they break through in culture, and crowdcultures are a great vehicle for doing that. But firms can’t identify the critical opportunities by relying on traditional segmentation and trend reports. INSETS: How Cultural Branding Builds Icons. ;How One Brand Uses Celebrities to Break Through
Assessing the Effectiveness of Yoga as a Complementary and Alternative Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review and Synthesis.

OBJECTIVES Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that affects many who have experienced trauma. In addition to skills-focused treatments, exposure-based treatments, cognitive therapy, combination treatments, and EMDR, a number of alternative treatments for PTSD have emerged in recent years. The search for alternative treatments is justified based on the empirical observation that a large percentage of individuals fail to benefit optimally from existing treatments (e.g., between 30 and 60). Moreover, current studies often utilize stringent inclusion criteria (e.g., absence of comorbid disorders), raising the likelihood that results will not generalize to many individuals currently experiencing PTSD. The primary objective of the current paper was to explore the effects of one type of alternative treatment: yoga. DESIGN A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted targeting research examining yoga postures and PTSD. Seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified and reviewed, and effect sizes were computed for the post-test assessments. RESULTS Cohen's d for each study ranged (in absolute value) from a low of -0.06 to a high of 1.42 (average weighted d across studies was 0.48; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.69). CONCLUSIONS Putative mechanisms of action for the possible beneficial effects of yoga for PTSD-related symptomatology and clinical implications are discussed.
Studies on Conditional Gene Expression in the Brain

ABSTRACT: This manuscript summarizes our recent attempts to regulate in vitro and in vivo the expression of genes encoding components and regulators of the postsynaptic machinery along with marker genes such as lacZ and GFP. In particular, we studied tTA‐dependent regulation and utilized Cre in combination with reversible silencing by intron engineering of dominant negative alleles. We further present a “knockin” approach for on‐site artificial regulation of chromosomal genes.